Graduation Semester and Year

2007

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Planning and Public Policy

Department

Urban and Public Affairs

First Advisor

Ardeshir Anjomani

Abstract

This research is concerned with explaining the variation in growth rates among employment subcenters. The purpose of the study is to find answers to the question: What factors/variables contribute to the growth or decline of employment subcenters? More specifically, the study aims to 1) identify and describe employment subcenters in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, and 2) explain the variation in their growth rate over a specified period of time through testing a set of variables extracted from related literature. A multiple regression analysis technique is employed to complete the empirical analysis. The DFW metropolitan area was chosen as a case study sample of polycentric regions in order to explore the phenomenon. Data sets covering over six thousand Traffic Survey Zones in the metropolitan area were used in the identification and analysis of employment subcenters. The results of the study identify several explanatory variables that affect the growth rate of employment subcenters in the DFW metropolitan area. Some of the variables identified are distance to the DFW international airport, distance to highway interchanges, distance to the Dallas CBD, whether the area is served by public transportation or not, and the proportion of subcenter’s area located in a floodplain zone. All of which were statistically significant in explaining the variation in the growth rate of employment subcenters in the region. Finally, the complexity of the subject covered in this dissertation requires a combined set of detailed future studies to better explain the phenomenon.

Disciplines

Public Affairs | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

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