Lee, SanghoonLi, Qiang2017-10-202017-10-202010https://hdl.handle.net/2445/116860This 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.37 p.application/pdfengcc-by-nc-nd, (c) Lee et al., 2010http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/Economia urbanaGeografia econòmicaModels matemàtics Ús urbà del sòlÚs urbà del sòlUrban economicsEconomic geographyMathematical modelsUrban land useinfo:eu-repo/semantics/workingPaperinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess