CAUSALITY IN THE SUBURBANIZATION OF POPULATION AND EMPLOYMENT

Using the slope of the density function as a measure of centralization, we find that suburbanization of the residential population is enhanced by rising income and suburbanization of employment in the transportation, communication, and public utilities and service sectors and by the failure of manufacturing to decentralize. Suburbanization of population is only a positive force in promoting decentralization of the service and retail sectors. However, there are a number of interesting interactions between decentralization of some industrial sectors and suburbanization of other sectors. Overall, our results differ significantly from those of previous studies which failed to disaggregate employment by industry and which aggregated change over decennial rather than annual time intervals. © 1994 Academic Press. All rights reserved.