8. Subcenters

In their article “Subcenters in the Los Angeles region” published in Regional Science and Urban Economics (1991), Genevieve Giuliano and Kenneth Small investigate the employment subcenters in the Los Angeles region using 1980 Census journey-to-work data. They attempt to answer the question of why the composition of LA is so different relative to other major US cities, such as New York and Chicago, and whether there are measurable economic rationales for this economic makeup. The paper presents an empirical analysis of employment and population patterns of subcenters in the Los Angeles region. The goal of their research was to explain the regions urban economics by addressing LA’s employment density and work commute patterns in order to show exactly how much of the city’s industry is subject to urban sprawl. Giuliano and Small have three objectives within their essay: (1) to develop a method for systematically identifying employment subcenters; (2) to apply it to data from the Los Angeles region; and (3) to analyze the functions and distribution of centers and their associated commuting flows.