Urban Structure and the Labour Market: Worker Mobility, Commuting, and Underemployment in Cities

Today, most people live and work in cities and as a result, most social and economic issues have a significant urban dimension. Considerable attention has been devoted to understanding where and how residential location affects urban activity, yet little of this effort has been directed to work and what determines location choices in cities. This study addresses this question by providing a theory based on modern labor economics, which complements the residential location theory at the core of recent urban studies. It analyzes the importance of workplace location in assessing matters of spatial structure, commuting patterns, underemployment, and the formation of urban ghettoes. The book lucidly blends theoretical analysis with empirical evidence, especially that from transportation survey data.