| Abstract: | This paper extends a recent von Thünen-type model of urban structure by Mills to include two competing forms of transportation, and then compares simulated representative American and European cities with respect to size, density, and land rents. Assuming consumers minimize costs in choosing between competing travel modes, the 19-equation model demonstrates that land rent differentials are diminished by adding an alternative travel mode, and that transport capacity is far more important than fare structures in determining transit patterns and land use. American urban structure appears to resemble European urban patterns as transportation modes proliferate. |
