Spatial Distribution of Economic Activities and Freight Trips in Metropolitan Areas

Abstract: The impact of urbanization has been undeniable in the last decades worldwide. By 2050, nearly 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas. As metropolitan areas grow, demand for service and commercial establishments increases. This paper investigates the spatial distribution of economic establishments and their freight consumption as a function of their proximity to the economic pole of metropolitan areas. To this effect, regression models for characterizing how establishment density, Freight Trip Attraction (FTA) density, and Freight Trip Production (FTP) density vary as they move away from the economic pole are computed for six Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) in the U.S. These models can be interpreted as demand functions for space. Despite the differences in size, economies, and population among the six MSAs, the resulting models show commonalities. Service-oriented establishments tend to be located closer to the economic pole. Notably, the sectors of information, finance and insurance, professional and technical services, management of companies, and health care and social assistance are the industries most likely to be located near the economic pole. The research results show that the establishment density and daily truck trips depend heavily on the industry sector analyzed and its location within the MSA—captured by the distance to the economic pole. Therefore, effective transportation policymaking should consider both dimensions when enacting freight policies.