An Allometric Analysis of the US Urban System: 1960 – 80

Abstract

In this paper the relationship between urban population size and land area of urbanized areas of the USA in 1960, 1970, and 1980 is analyzed by means of the allometric growth law. The US urban system of each of the above time periods is disaggregated into seven population-size classes and nine geographic regions. A total of fifty-one equations are estimated. Although the statistical results of the allometric equations classified according to population are not satisfactory, the equations classified according to region are superior. Among the major findings for the US urban system are: the existence of the dynamic similarity model, the existence of negative allometry, the lack of support for the hypothesized relationship between the allometric coefficients and the changes in the population density profiles, and that continental USA is divided into regions of ‘negative allometric’ or ‘toward isometric’ and ‘stable’ or ‘unstable’ growth patterns.