Spatial economics / Hans R.A. Koster, Stef Proost, Jacques-François Thisse

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Koster, Hans, author.

Proost, S., author.

Thisse, Jacques-François, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Space in economics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource : illustrations

black and white

illustrations

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2026]

Summary:

An authoritative and cutting-edge exploration of how land, transportation, and economic forces shape cities, regions, and the distribution of economic activities from a local to a global scale.

"Spatial Economics provides a framework for understanding how economic activities organize spatially, shaped by the trade-off between increasing returns to scale and transportation costs. The book highlights the tension between forces driving agglomeration—such as shared inputs, labor market matching, and knowledge spillovers—and those driving dispersion, including transportation costs, land scarcity, and congestion. This interplay explains the geographic inequalities that define modern economies. The dual role of land and transportation is central. Land is immobile and inelastically supplied, driving competition for prime locations and disparities in economic outcomes. Transportation connects spatially separated agents, enabling markets and agglomeration but imposes costs that influence locational choices. Together, these factors explain the formation and persistence of cities, regional clusters, and global economic patterns. The book combines classical theories with modern tools, shedding light on mechanisms shaping urban growth, regional disparities, and land market dynamics. It emphasizes how market failures—arising from externalities, imperfect competition, and transport frictions—interact with geographic forces. Policy issues, such as the effects of infrastructure investments, land-use regulations, and place-based interventions, are analyzed with a focus on their implications for inequality and welfare. By synthesizing theoretical insights with empirical evidence through econometric methods and quantitative spatial equilibrium models, the book provides a robust framework for addressing pressing challenges in urbanization, inequality, and sustainable development in the 21st century"-- Oxford Academic

Contents:

What is spatial economics about?

The agricultural land rent

Land is back : the urban land rent

Transportation and trade

Urban transportation

The producer city

The consumer city : retailing

The consumer city : local public goods

Regional disparities : the mobility of firms

Regional disparities : the mobility of workers

Urban systems

Skill sorting across cities

Quantitative spatial economics

Cities and the environment

Place-based policies

Land use regulation

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index

Online resource; title from home page (Oxford Academic, viewed July 31, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version: Koster, Hans Spatial economics.

ISBN:

9780197824733

0197824730

9780197824726

0197824722

OCLC:

1582163696

Publisher Number:

CIPO000370900

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license