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Resetting the urban network: 117-2012

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  • Michaels, Guy
  • Rauch, Ferdinand
Abstract
Do fixed geographic features such as coastlines and rivers determine town locations, or can historical events trap towns in unfavourable locations for centuries? We examine the effects on town locations of the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, which temporarily ended urbanization in Britain, but not in France. As urbanization recovered, medieval towns were more often found in Roman-era town locations in France than in Britain, and this difference persists today. The resetting of Britain’s urban network gave it better access to natural navigable waterways when this was important, while many French towns remained without such access. We show that towns without coastal access grew more slowly in both Britain and France from 1200-1800, suggesting that towns that remained in locations without coastal access missed out on growth opportunities.

Suggested Citation

  • Michaels, Guy & Rauch, Ferdinand, 2017. "Resetting the urban network: 117-2012," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 67408, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:67408
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    economic geography; economic history; path dependence; transportation.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N93 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

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