![]() Across both countries, larger cities were much more likely to have disproportionately high concentrations of high-income earners and disproportionately high housing costs. In our new research, we analysed all cities across Australia and the United States. So how do Australian and US cities compare? High-income earners also push out or displace low-income earners.Įmpirical evidence indicates that traditional metrics fail to capture the reality of these displacements and expulsions. It’s not just a matter of large income gaps between rich and poor. The largest cities have disproportionate numbers of high-income earners. In our previous research, we found larger cities have more unequal income distribution. The focus on large cities’ wealth generation and agglomeration economies – the benefits when firms and people come together in cities – means the distributive aspects are neglected. Large cities are often said to be innovation drivers, wealth producers, the economic engines of the country. In Australia, both Sydney and Melbourne are projected to have populations of 8 million by mid-century. The development of ever-larger cities is a global phenomenon. A massive global city, with a rising share of the nation’s GDP, but with segregation between rich and poor, and unaffordable housing and long commuting hours for most, should fare very poorly on such measures. ![]() ![]() This suggests planning must focus on the development of cities of all sizes, not just the largest ones.įurther, development and growth should be measured not only in aggregative ways, such as the gross domestic product (GDP), but in ways that show how well this is distributed – such as distributions of income, housing stock and access to services. This is because a concentration of high incomes and wealth in the biggest cities flows on to spatial justice issues such as high housing costs and poor access to amenities for lower-income residents. Larger cities are associated with greater inequality in both Australia and the United States. Our new research shows that city size and population distribution matter when the priorities are access to amenities and equality of opportunities and outcomes – and not just economic growth. But city sizes vary greatly, so what can city size tell us about their residents’ quality of life? By 2030, 66% of the world’s population will live in cities, concentrated in only 3% of the planet’s land area. ![]()
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