The next town over: On the clustering of towns and settlements before modern economic growth

Florian Ploeckl ()

Regional Science and Urban Economics, 2021, vol. 89, issue C

Abstract: The location of towns is far from random. The influence of geography and location interdependence for the spatial structure of locations and the selection of towns from these is analysed empirically for Saxony's historical experience before the Industrial Revolution. Spatial econometric analysis indicates that geographic factors are the primary influence on the spatial settlement distribution and urbanisation, while spatial interactions are consistent with a pattern of close proximity clustering, then dispersion and back to clustering with increasing distance. Comparing size-based and legal towns shows a stronger impact of location endowments and more clustering for population-based spatial structures.

Keywords: Urban location; Endowments; Location interdependence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N93 R12 R23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:regeco:v:89:y:2021:i:c:s0166046220303045

DOI: 10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2020.103619

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