A flow approach to industrial sites, firm dynamics and regional employmentgrowth: A case study of Amsterdam-North

This paper analyses the relationship between spatial dynamics of firms and employment growth in the region. Moreover, it addresses the facilitating or impeding role of (new) industrial sites in the geographical process of fir m and job dynamics, while recognising that the spatial dynamics of firms re flect socio-economic developments at both the regional and national level. To this end, a novel conceptual theoretical framework based on the so-calle d flow approach, is developed, through which the relationship between spati al dynamics of firms (entries, exits and relocations) and changes in region al employment (job creation and job destruction) can be systematically anal ysed. Moreover, it also allows us to assess the generative employment effec ts of firm moves from and to (newly created) industrial sites in the region . To demonstrate in practice the usefulness of this new approach for the re gional employment effects of spatial firm dynamics (facilitated or hindered by industrial site developments) an empirical application to the area of A msterdam-North (the Netherlands) will be presented.