This article utilizes recently published US Census data covering the pre–and post–Great Recession period (1990–2015) to identify key determinants of growth among small urban places in the New England Region. We find little evidence of random growth and robust evidence of convergence in growth, indicating that smaller urban areas tend to experience faster rates of growth than larger ones, over both the short and long term. Factors such as distance to large city areas and amenities are found to be particularly relevant to population growth rates. Having a diverse industrial base, high levels of human capital and proximity to large urban areas are factors that positively affect income growth. These results highlight the importance of policies geared to improve cities’ amenities, increase their industrial diversity, and attracting and retaining human capital in urban areas.

中文翻译：

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了解小城市地区的近期增长动态：以新英格兰为例

本文利用最近发布的涵盖大衰退前后（1990-2015 年）的美国人口普查数据来确定新英格兰地区小城市地区增长的关键决定因素。我们几乎没有发现随机增长的证据和增长趋同的有力证据，这表明在短期和长期内，较小的城市地区往往比较大的城市地区经历更快的增长率。发现与大城市地区的距离和便利设施等因素与人口增长率特别相关。拥有多样化的工业基础、高水平的人力资本和靠近大城市地区是对收入增长产生积极影响的因素。这些结果突出了旨在改善城市便利设施、增加其工业多样性、