| It has frequently been suggested in the literature that a polycentric distribution of employment and people shortens commuting distances because people locate within or close to their employment subcenter (co-location hypothesis). Having studied the three biggest French metropolitan areas over the last decade we have established that co-location affects only a minority of inhabitants, of whom there are fewer in 1999 than there were nine years earlier. Indeed, the majority of people living in a subcenter work outside their subcenter of residence. This situation was even more marked in 1999 than it was in 1990. In addition to this, the majority of jobs located in subcenters are held by non-residents who are generally living further and further from their place of work. |
