Economics

Understanding Recent Growth Dynamics in Small Urban Places: The Case of New England

Document Type

Conference Paper

Abstract

This article utilizes recently published US Census data covering the pre-and post-Great Recession period (1990–2015) to identify key determinants of growth among small urban places in the New England Region. We find little evidence of random growth and robust evidence of convergence in growth, indicating that smaller urban areas tend to experience faster rates of growth than larger ones, over both the short and long term. Factors such as distance to large city areas and amenities are found to be particularly relevant to population growth rates. Having a diverse industrial base, high levels of human capital and proximity to large urban areas are factors that positively affect income growth. These results highlight the importance of policies geared to improve cities’ amenities, increase their industrial diversity, and attracting and retaining human capital in urban areas.

Publication Title

City and Community

Publication Date

3-2020

Volume

19

Issue

1

First Page

44

Last Page

75

ISSN

1535-6841

DOI

10.1111/cico.12455

Keywords

city size, urban growth, power law

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