Stretching the concept of 'borrowed size'

Meijers, E.J.; Burger, MJ

doi:10.1177/0042098015597642

Stretching the concept of 'borrowed size'

Title

Stretching the concept of 'borrowed size'

Author

Meijers, E.J. (TU Delft OLD Urban and Regional Development)
Burger, MJ (Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam)

Date

2017

Abstract

‘Borrowed size’ is an emerging policy concept in several European countries, presenting theoretical potential to explain contemporary urban dynamics unaddressed through conventional urban growth theories that emphasise the role of agglomeration economies. In its original conceptualisation by Alonso, the concept describes and explains the situation that especially smaller cities that are located in a larger ‘megapolitan complex’ do perform better because they have access to agglomeration benefits of larger neighbouring cities. This paper scrutinises the concept of borrowed size, thereby focusing on its conceptualisation and reviewing its empirical justification thus far. Our empirical analyses show that the concept must be stretched in terms of scale and scope to enhance its policy value. Borrowed size occurs when a city possesses urban functions and/or performance levels normally associated with larger cities. This is enabled through interactions in networks of cities across multiple spatial scales. These networks serve as a substitute for the benefits of agglomeration. Theoretically, the borrowed size concept demands a recasting of the geographical foundations of agglomeration theory.

Subject

agglomeration economies
agglomeration spillovers
network externalities
territorial development
urban system

To reference this document use:

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:bf306b79-1060-4a44-98a3-d4ecf4873875

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098015597642

ISSN

0042-0980

Source

Urban Studies: an international journal for research in urban studies, 54 (1), 269-291

Bibliographical note

Accepted Author Manuscript