The Role of Health Services in Metropolitan and Central City Economic Development: The Example of Dallas

Abstract

A shift from goods- to service-producing activities has characterized urban economies for nearly three decades. Much of the research concerned has focused on the increasing prominence of producer services in urban economies; scant attention has been paid to the even more rapid emergence of health services. Recent patterns of growth in metropolitan Dallas indicate that this sector plays an important role in job and income creation; moreover, increasing specialization in health care occupations and practices is encouraging its centralization in the metropolitan core. Opportunities for health service exports appear greatest in smaller metropolitan areas that provide high-volume basic care to the surrounding territory. For larger areas, health service exports seem limited to specialty care and, consequently, much thinner markets.