Optimal city size, the economic theory of clubs and exclusionary zoning

Conclusions

The analysis of a city of equals, while admittedly removed from the real world, does yield an important finding: in spite of the presence of increasing returns to scale, the optimal city size is finite. Moreover, the application of the theoretical developments of the theory of clubs to the concept of the co-operative city and to coalitions within the city seems difficult but possible. It may provide valuable insights into programs of public acquisition of urban land and the creation of New Towns, and into the analysis of the urban political process, respectively. Also, I might conjecture that, with this transfer, there is considerable scope for further development of the areas of inter and intra-urban migrations, and of a general theory of urban growth and decay.