Urban land use, sorting, and population density: A continuous logit model

- We analyze land use, sorting, and population density in a polycentric city.
- The utilized continuous logit model is a random utility model in continuous space.
- The model predicts incomplete segregation of citizens who work in different business centers and cross commuting.
- We show that the relative size of income elasticity of both land demand and commuting costs determines income sorting of individuals working in a particular business district.
- Due to heterogeneous preferences for residence locations and workplaces, this may not hold for the aggregate spatial pattern of multiple income classes.
- We show that individual land use may decrease as distance between workplace and residence increases.

This paper analyzes land use, sorting, and population density in a polycentric city. To this end, the paper develops a continuous spatial choice logit model of a closed polycentric city with multiple income classes and endogenous land use where households select their workplace and residence locations probabilistically. In contrast to the classic urban model with deterministic location choices, the continuous logit model predicts incomplete segregation of citizens who work in different business centers, and, therefore, cross commuting. The relative size of income elasticity of both land demand and commuting costs determines income sorting of individuals working in a particular business district. Due to heterogeneous preferences for residence locations and workplaces, this may not hold for the aggregate spatial pattern of multiple income classes. Finally, individual land use may decrease as distance between workplace and residence increases.