Cities in Space: Three Simple Models
Working Paper 3607
DOI 10.3386/w3607
Issue Date
Urban agglomerations arise at least in part out of the interaction between economies of scale in production and market size effects. This paper develops a simple spatial framework to develop illustrative models of the determinants of urban location, of the number and size of cities, and of the degree of urbanization. A Central theme is the probable existence of multiple equilibria, and the dependence of the range of potential outcomes on a few key parameters.