Journal Article

Making Sense of Urban Patterns

Abstract: Why do cities everywhere exhibit the same general patterns of density and development? And how can we explain some striking variations? The streets of Philadelphia roll west through a collage of urban environments familiar to city dwellers nearly everywhere. From Penn Square, the central site of the iconic stone City Hall, Market Street traverses a canyon of concrete and glass office buildings that gradually give way to commercial and apartment structures and mixed uses. A mile from City Hall, the busy thoroughfare crosses the Schuylkill River, and density again picks up as the University of Pennsylvania anchors a second employment hub.

Keywords: urban dwelling; population density; city planning;

Bibliographic Information

Provider: Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

Part of Series: Economic Insights

Publication Date: 2017-01

Volume: 2

Issue: 1

Pages: 1-5