Time-series Analysis of Clusters in City Size Distributions

Complex systems, such as urban systems, emerge unpredictably without the influence of central control as a result of adaptive behaviour by their component, interacting agents. This paper analyses city size distributions, by decade, from the south-western region of the United States for the years 189...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Urban studies (Edinburgh, Scotland) Scotland), 2005-08, Vol.42 (9), p.1507-1515
Main Authors: Garmestani, Ahjond S., Allen, Craig R., Bessey, K. Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cities
Cluster analysis
Complex systems
Data analysis
Datasets
Distribution
Ecological economics
Ecosystems
Empirical research
Growth rates
Human geography
Population density
Population size
Power laws
Size distribution
Time series
U.S.A
Urban areas
Urban economics
Urban studies
Urban systems
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Summary:Complex systems, such as urban systems, emerge unpredictably without the influence of central control as a result of adaptive behaviour by their component, interacting agents. This paper analyses city size distributions, by decade, from the south-western region of the United States for the years 1890-1990. It determines if the distributions were clustered and documents changes in the pattern of clusters over time. Clusters were determined utilising a kernel density estimator and cluster analysis. The data were clustered as determined by both methods. The analyses identified 4-7 clusters of cities in each of the decades analysed. Cities cluster into size classes, suggesting variability in growth rates at different scales.
ISSN:0042-0980
1360-063X
DOI:10.1080/00420980500185314