ABSTRACT
This study that the suburbs of large US metropolises are today in the midst of a new phase of development—one that is more advanced than in the past— in which the economies are being significantly broadened, and that the development is altering the relationship between central cities and suburbs, bringing about new opportunities for both symbiosis and competition. The analysis treats both city and suburbs, contrasting employment characteristics and noting, where possible, differences in developmental patterns. The growth and development of metropolitan economies are being driven by a larger transformation within the national economy and, indeed, within much of the world economy. The commuting measures support the finding that central city economies have become increasingly dependent on commuters in recruiting the work forces. The new suburbanization is bringing about the creation of large centers of economic activity and the development of agglomeration economies that place the suburbs in sharper competition with central cities than was formerly the case.
