Papers of the Regional Science Association

Krugman states that “Regional science is not a unified subject. It is best described as a collection of tools.” Unfortunately such a perspective fails to fully acknowledge theoretical dimensions of the accompanying refocusing on geographic expressions of economic linkages, such as those highlighted in spatial externalities specifications. Such promulgated aspects of the spatial economic landscape relate to map pattern, and certainly the spatial statistics and spatial econometrics theory that accompanies it, as well as the underlying substantive theory garnered from a variety of sources. The principal implication is other than “loose- jointed, do-the-best-you-can theorizing”.

The classical “Harris-Wilson” model of urban retail activity location is extended to include endogenous zonal retail prices, as well as endogenous travel costs. Illustrative equilibrium configurations of the activity/travel system are obtained through numerical experiments, under a variety of situations. Sudden changes in the spatial patterns of retail activity and interzonal shopping travel are shown to be induced by continuous variations in the values of the model's parameters. New sources of discontinuity are also identified, such as random fluctuations in the values of the exogenous variables, including residential population, link capacities and nonretail travel. Several directions for further theoretical and operational development of the model are discussed in conclusion.

Hazardous facility siting policies have shifted gradually from an exlusive focus on risk mitigation measures to strategies which combine mitigation and compensation for unavoidable risks. Despite widespread practice among regional and state government entities, such strategies have achieved limited success. We argue that risk sharing through dispersion and downscaling of facilities is a key adjunct to compensation, with the potential to alleviate many stalemates which pervade current siting processes. A prescriptive risk-sharing model, inspired by a growing number of equity-oriented siting policies, elucidates the trade-offs between spatial equity, compensation, and facility costs. We conclude that equity considerations are likely to emerge as a primary criterion in the next generation of siting processes.