Abstract

The map is composed of six thematic map layers showing the proportion of stores in each city that belongs to each of the five commercial location types plus a sixth type, dispersed stores. Downtown is typically the oldest and most central commercial location in the city. Shopping centres are designed, built and managed as a single unit, primarily for retail purposes. Pedestrian strips are those neighbourhood commercial streets, usually surrounded by residential areas, that are made up of individually owned stores. Arterial strips are the through streets that are lined with retail and service activities to serve people in automobiles. Industrial zones are extensive areas zoned for industrial use that nowadays are home to wholesalers, big-box retailers and a variety of services and small office buildings. Dispersed stores include stores that do not belong to any of the five commercial location types. On the map, circles are proportional to the populations of the 81 cities, while the proportion of stores belonging to each of the six commercial classification types is assigned to quintiles. The spatial distribution of the commercial structure also relates to the patterns of specialization in services, since those cities with strong specializations should have distinctive commercial structures in order to accommodate the specializations.