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IEB10-41_Lee+Li.pdf (559.47 KB)

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Working paper

Publication date

2010

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cc-by-nc-nd, (c) Lee et al., 2010
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/116860

Uneven landscapes and the city size distribution

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Abstract

This paper proposes a new explanation for Zipf’s law often observed in the top tail of city size distribution. We show that Zipf’s law can emerge if city size can be expressed as a product of multiple random factors. Each of the factors need not generate Zipf’s law by itself. The key implication is that we cannot reject a model simply because the model does not generate Zipf’s law. A single model, typically representing only one factor, may not generate Zipf’s law, but if we have many such models together as in reality, Zipf’s law may emerge.

Subject

Economia urbana, Geografia econòmica, Models matemàtics Ús urbà del sòl, Ús urbà del sòl

Subject (English)

Urban economics, Economic geography, Mathematical models, Urban land use

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IEB (Institut d’Economia de Barcelona) – Working Papers

Citation

LEE, Sanghoon and LI, Qiang. Uneven landscapes and the city size distribution. IEB Working Paper 2010/41. [consulted: 10 of June of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/116860

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