Efficient urbanisation: Economic performance and the shape of the metropolis

The influences of urban form and transport infrastructure on economic perfo rmance show up in several contemporary policy debates, notably 'sprawl vers us compact city' and in the developing world, the future of mega-cities. Th is paper probes these relationships using two scales of analysis. At the ma cro scale, an econometric analysis using data across 47 US metropolitan are as reveals that employment densities and urban primacy are positively assoc iated with worker productivity, suggesting the presence of agglomeration ec onomies. Congested freeways are shown to be a consequence of strong economi c performance. An intrametropolitan analysis using data on sub-districts of the San Francisco Bay Area generally reinforces the findings of the macro- scale analysis. In the Bay Area, labour productivity appears to increase wi th size of labour-marketshed and high accessibility between residences and firms. Higher employment density and well-functioning infrastructure also c ontribute positively to economic performance.