Estimating a Polycentric Urban Structure. Case Study: Urban Changes in the Stockholm Region 1991–2004
This article has been corrected.
VIEW CORRECTIONPublication: Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 135, Issue 1
Abstract
The aims of this paper are to empirically test and evaluate methods for describing intraurban polycentricity, and to evaluate the polycentric development with respect to the regional development plan of the Office of Urban and Regional Transportation in 2001. The study area is Stockholm County and the time period investigated is 1991–2004. Three dimensions of polycentricity are analyzed: urban nuclei size relations, spatial distribution of urban nuclei, and potential interaction (accessibility). According to the methods’ various qualifications in describing polycentric forms it is proposed here that a combination of methods is preferable for this subject. The polycentric structure exposes an increasing and considerable concentration of urban resources to the major urban nuclei. This concentration is combined with an increased spatial dispersal of the urban nuclei. In relative terms, the accessibility has decreased concerning the accessibility by public transportation modes and increased (workspace) or remained on almost the same level (residential space) by car transportation mode. Thus, the urban structural change in the Stockholm region corresponds to the political guidelines. In spite of this, by the increase in relative accessibility by car and decrease in the relative accessibility by public transportation modes the goal concerning higher share in public transports may not be possible to fulfill.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The writer thanks the three referees for their constructive review.
References
Anas, A., Arnott, R., and Small, K. A. (1998). “Urban spatial structure.” J. Econ. Lit., 36, 1426–1464.
Armstrong, J. S. (2001). “Extrapolation of time-series and cross-sectional data.” Principles of forecasting: A handbook for researchers and practitioners, J. S. Armstrong, ed., Kluwer Academic, Boston, 217–244.
Batty, M. (2001). “Polynucleated urban landscape.” Urban Stud., 38(4), 635–655.
Brotchie, J. F. (1984). “Technological change and urban form.” Envir. Plan. A, 16, 583–596.
Calthorpe, P. (1989). “Pedestrian pockets.” The pedestrian pocket book, D. Kelbough, ed., Princeton Architectural Press, New York, 7–20.
Casello, J. M., and Smith, T. E. (2006). “Transportation activity centers for urban transport analysis.” J. Urban Plann. Dev., 132(4), 247–257.
Cervero, R. (1989). America’s suburban centers: The land-use-transportation link, Unwin Hyman, Boston.
Champion, A. G. (2001). “A changing demographic regime and evolving polycentric urban regions: Consequences for the size, composition and distribution of city population.” Urban Stud., 368(4), 657–677.
Christaller, W. (1966). Central places in southern Germany, C. W. Baskin, translator, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
Davoudi, S. (2003). “Polycentricity in European spatial planning: From an analytical tool to a normative agenda.” European Planning Studies, 11(8), 979–999.
Donnay, J.-P., and Unwin, D. (2001). “Modelling geographical distribution in urban areas.” Remote sensing and urban analysis, J.-P. Donnay, M. J. Barnsley, and P. A. Longley, eds., Taylor & Francis, London.
Duncan, G. T., Gorr, W. L., and Szczypula, J. (2001). “Analogies.” Principles of forecasting: A handbook for researchers and practitioners, J. S. Armstrong, ed., Kluwer Academic, Boston, 193–214.
Dunlap, R. E., and Catton, W. R. (1979). “Environmental sociology.” Annu. Rev. Sociol., 5, 243–273.
European Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON). (2005). ESPON 111: Potentials for polycentric development in Europe, ESPON, Luxembourg.
Giddens, A. (1984). The constitution of society, Blackwell Ltd., Oxford, U.K.
Giuliano, G., and Small, K. A. (1991). “Subcentres in the Los Angeles region.” Reg. Sci. Urban Econ., 21, 163–182.
Gordon, P., and Richardson, H. W. (1996). “Beyond polycentricity. The dispersed metropolis, Los Angeles, 1970–1990.” J. Am. Plan. Assn., 62(3), 289–295.
Gordon, P., Richardson, H. W., and Wong, H. L. (1986). “The distribution of population and employment in a polycentric city: The case of Los Angeles.” Envir. Plan. A, 18, 161–173.
Harris, C., and Ullman, E. (1945). “The nature of cities.” Annals Amer. Acad. Polit. Soc. Sci., 242, 7–17.
Hartoft-Nielsen, P. (2002). “Stationsnærhedspolitikken i Københavnsregionen—Baggrund og effekter.” Skov & Landskab, 16, Hørsholm, Denmark.
Heikkila, E., Gordon, P., Kim, J. I., Peiser, R. B., Richardson, H. W., and Dale-Johnson, D. (1989). “What happened to the CBD-distance gradient?: Land values in a policentric city.” Envir. Plan. A, 21, 221–232.
Howard, E. (1898). Tomorrow: A peaceful path to real reform, Swan Sonnerschein, London.
Johansen, L. (1977). Lectures on macroeconomic planning, North-Holland, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Kelbaugh, D. (2002). “The new urbanism.” Urban theory, S. S. Fainstain and S. Campbell, eds., Blackwell Publishing, Malden, U.K., 354–361.
Klosterman, R. C., and Musterd, S. (2001). “The polycentric urban region: Towards a research agenda.” Urban Stud., 38(4), 623–633.
Lantmäteriet. (2003). GSD-topographic map, Lantmäteriet, Gävle, Sweden.
McCann, P. (2001). Urban and regional economics, Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K.
Newton, P. W. (1997). Re-shaping cities for a more sustainable future: Exploring the link between urban form, air quality, energy and greenhouse gas emissions, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Press, Queensland Univ. of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.
Office of Urban and Regional Transportation (RTK). (2003). Flera kärnor, Katarina Tryck AB, Stockholm, Sweden.
Office of Urban and Regional Transportation (RTK). (2004). Regional utvecklingsplan för Stockholmsregionen, Katarina Tryck AB, Stockholm, Sweden.
O’Sullivan, D., and Unwin, D. (2002). Geographic information analysis, Wiley, New York.
Richards, J. A. (1993). Remote sensing digital image analysis, Springer, Berlin.
Rietveld, P., and Bruinsma, F. (1998). Is transport infrastructure effective? Transport infrastracture and accessibility: Impacts on the space economy, Springer, Berlin.
Rosen, K. T., and Resnick, M. (1980). “The size distribution of cities: An examination of the Pareto law and primacy.” J. Urban Econ., 8, 165–186.
Zipf, G. K. (1949). Human behavior and the principle of least effort: An introduction to human ecology, Addison-Wesley, Cambridge, Mass.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 135 • Issue 1 • March 2009
Pages: 19 - 30
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Jul 18, 2007
Accepted: May 29, 2008
Published online: Mar 1, 2009
Published in print: Mar 2009
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.