Impacts of Urban Containment Policies on the Spatial Structure of US Metropolitan Areas

Abstract

This paper examines the impacts of different types of urban containment policies (UCPs) on the spatial structure of US metropolitan areas, with a particular focus on UCP tightness. These UCPs include state-mandated urban growth boundaries (UGBs), locally adopted urban growth boundaries and urban service areas (USAs). Population and employment density gradients, taken as concentration measures, are estimated for 135 metropolitan areas and are then used in a simultaneous equation model to assess the impacts of different UCPs on metropolitan spatial structure. The results suggest that state-mandated ‘strong’ UGBs more effectively promote growth within the boundaries than locally adopted UGBs or USAs.