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Demography and the emergence of universal patterns in urban systems

Sociology

Demography and the emergence of universal patterns in urban systems

L. M. A. Bettencourt and D. Zünd

This groundbreaking research by Luís M. A. Bettencourt and Daniel Zünd unveils a demographic framework that clarifies the statistical distribution of city sizes, moving beyond the limitations of Zipf's law. By examining migration flows and vital rates, it derives Zipf's law and other distributions under specific conditions. Discover how choice, symmetry, information, and selection resolve the puzzles related to deviations from Zipf's law.

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Playback language: English
Abstract
This paper develops a demographic framework to explain the statistical distribution of city sizes, addressing the limitations of Zipf's law. It demonstrates how migration flows and vital rates determine various city size distributions, deriving Zipf's law and other distributions under specific conditions. The framework resolves puzzles associated with deviations from Zipf's law by incorporating concepts of choice, symmetry, information, and selection.
Publisher
Nature Communications
Published On
Sep 11, 2020
Authors
Luís M. A. Bettencourt, Daniel Zünd
Tags
city sizes
Zipf's law
migration flows
vital rates
demographic framework
distribution
selection

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