Retailing,and Prediction of Price Patterns in Urban Form Using Curvilinear Regression Analysis

Abstract

This paper examines the complex chain of interrelationships in the retail patterns of urban areas, with particular reference to the examination of low-order goods and the patterns derived therefrom in terms of both space and price. In the search for endogenous factors it is suggested that use of multivariate linear regression models might be of limited value in this particular context and that it is both conceptually appealing, and possibly more rewarding, to utilize curvilinear regression analysis on a single variable. The family chosen here is that of the generalised gamma curves and this is related to empirical evidence from Bedford and Durham to give a predictive model for the price structure/distribution in the urban system.

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