Abstract
New theoretical work in urban economics suggests that urban population density contours are inherently discontinuous. This result calls into question the standard practice of estimating smooth density contours and indicates a need for an estimation technique capable of capturing discontinuities. This paper employs such a technique by applying Quandt's switching regression method to the estimation problem. Density contours with marked discontinuities emerge from the empirical work.
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Brueckner, J. A switching regression analysis of urban population densities: Preliminary results. Papers of the Regional Science Association 56, 71–87 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01887904
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01887904