Urban form and productivity: What shapes are Latin-American cities?

This paper examines the linkages between urban form and city productivity using seven alternative metrics for urban form and applying them to a comprehensive sample of Latin-American cities.

While most of the literature has concentrated on the effects of population density (compact vs. sprawling urban development), this paper seeks to assess whether different dimensions of a city’s urban form, such as shape, structure, and land use, affect its economic performance.

We found that both the shape of the urban extent and the inner-city connectedness have a statistically significant association with the productivity level of a city.

Duque JC, Lozano-Gracia N, Patino JE, Restrepo P. Urban form and productivity: What shapes are Latin-American cities? Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science.