Accessibility, Location and Employment Center Growth

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between accessibility and the growth of employment centers in order to improve the understanding of how transportation investments influence the spatial organization of metropolitan areas. There is little understanding of how employment centers emerge and grow, and what role transportation access may play in this process. The National Establishment Time-Series (NETS) Database, a proprietary database that consists of time series establishment level data for the entire US for the years 1990 through 2009, was used to identify employment centers in California’s four largest metro areas (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Sacramento) and examine their evolution over the time period in terms of number of firms, employment, and other factors. Results suggest the need for both more reliable data sources for detailed, spatially disaggregate data and comparable studies of metro areas outside California. The role of transport and labor force accessibility in employment center growth remains uncertain.