Abstract Over the last decade, warehousing and distribution centers have decentralized to the urban peripheries where land is cheaper and readily available. This change in location patterns has been driven by the demand to build more modernized and larger facilities to accommodate an ever-increasing influx of freight. Since efficient freight movement is essential for the smooth functioning of metropolitan areas, decentralization should occur everywhere. However, this is not necessarily true. It is hypothesized that depending on the volume of goods movement and the spatial distribution of land prices, the extent of decentralization varies across metropolitan areas. This hypothesis is tested using 48 US metropolitan areas. Results provide robust evidence that high land prices push large warehouses away from central locations. When freight demand and land prices are not as high, the effect becomes insignificant. Indeed, not only is decentralization linked with large metro areas but also with very large warehouses.

中文翻译：

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为什么仓库在某些大都市地区更加分散？

摘要 在过去的十年中，仓储和配送中心已经分散到土地更便宜且容易获得的城市周边地区。位置模式的这种变化是由于需要建造更现代化和更大的设施以适应不断增加的货物涌入。由于有效的货运流动对于大都市区的顺利运作至关重要，因此应该在任何地方进行权力下放。然而，这不一定是真的。假设根据货物流动量和土地价格的空间分布，分权的程度因大都市区而异。该假设在美国 48 个大都市区进行了测试。结果提供了强有力的证据，表明高地价将大型仓库推离中心位置。当货运需求和土地价格不那么高时，效果就变得微不足道了。事实上，权力下放不仅与大都市区有关，而且与非常大的仓库有关。