MEASURING OPTIMAL-POPULATION DISTRIBUTION BY AGGLOMERATION ECONOMIES AND DISECONOMIES - A CASE-STUDY OF TOKYO

This paper presents an empirical study on the optimality of population distribution within the Tokyo metropolitan area, By taking into accou nt the effects of agglomeration economies and diseconomies on the urba n business firms' and households' behaviour, a benefit function and a cost function are obtained that are dependent on the distribution of u rban population. Using statistical data from the Tokyo metropolitan ar ea, estimates are made of these agglomeration-related benefit and cost functions, and the related population density functions as well, A co mparison between the estimated benefit and cost functions shows that t he distribution of population is optimal around the central and periph eral cities but non-optimal in between them, and the global city size of the whole area is optimal.