Infrastructure and firm migration : a casestudy in the province of South-Holland from 1988 to 1997. The objective of the paper is to quantify the influence of transport infrastructure on firm migration by estimating a number of discrete choice models. The model estimates correspond to firm demographic literature and reveal a modest importance of accessibility as pull-factor when a firm is searching for a new location. Another finding is the strong influence of keep-factors which indicate that a firm that relocates strives to maintain the existing spatial relations. As expected transport infrastructure plays a minor role as a push-factor: the motives to relocate are often firm-internal. Furthermore outspoken differences in location preference between industry sectors are measured. Firms in business services and manufacturing appear to have a preference for locations near motorway on-ramps. Furthermore the results reveal a suburbanisation pattern of the trade & retail sector. Firms in the government sector and in general services appear to prefer locations near train stations as well as motorway on-ramps. Education and health services show a preference for locations near train stations. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting