The pattern of firm relocations in today's urbanized society reflects a process of spatial decentralization of economic activities from the urban centers. Migration decisions and location choices are made in a complex process of weighing the pros and cons, and have a clear relevance for the mobility development. In this paper the traffic and transportation effects include the number of employees and visitors and their modal split, and the change in the number of transport movements. In the light of the intentions of the policy objectives, the effects found can be marked as `negative'. The negative effects can often be linked to certain types of firm relocation. Because the prevention of negative effects is a central issue in this respect this paper mainly argues for a policy which aims at directly or indirectly influencing the direction of the firm relocation process by a tailor-made firm location planning. (A)
Abstract