Expansion of the subway network and spatial distribution of population and employment in the Seoul metropolitan area

Abstract

The objective of this study is to address two questions that are pertinent to the issue of transportation and urban spatial structure. First, we investigate whether the improvement of the subway system affects the spatial structure in the Seoul metropolitan area. Second, if so, we examine whether it contributes to the suburbanisation of population and employment or spatial concentration around the urban centre. To do so, we focus on the improvement of the subway system in Seoul metropolitan areas between 2000 and 2010 with micro population and employment data. Because of the interrelationship between population, employment and transportation, we control for the interplay between population, employment and subway network by using a simultaneous equation model. Our results provide several interesting findings. First, the improvement of the subway system plays an important role in changes in urban spatial structure. Second, the improvement of the subway system significantly affects job growth in the urban centre and subcentres in the city of Seoul. Third, the interrelationship between population, employment and public transportation generates redistributive effects that are substantially associated with urban growth and decline, and determine urban spatial structure. © Urban Studies Journal Limited 2017.

本研究的目的是探讨与交通和城市空间结构相关的两个问题。首先，我们考察了地铁系统的改进是否影响首尔大都市区的空间结构。其次，在上条成立的前提下，我们考察了地铁系统的改进是促进人口和就业的郊区化，还是促进向城市中心的空间聚集。为此，我们利用微观的人口和就业数据，聚焦首尔大都市区 2000 至 2010 年间地铁系统的改进。由于人口、就业与交通之间的相互关系，我们采用联立方程模型，以人口、就业与地铁网络之间的相互作用为对照。我们的研究结果得出了一些有意思的结论。首先，地铁系统的改进在改变城市空间结构方面发挥重要作用。其次，地铁系统的改进大大影响了首尔城市中心以及副中心的就业增长。第三，人口、就业与公共交通之间的相互关系生成了再分配效应，该效应与城市兴衰有着实质性关联，并决定了城市空间结构。