Date of Award

7-1-1989

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Geography and Geology

First Advisor

Dr. Charles R. Gildersleeve

Abstract

Studies of locational change in manufacturing at the metropolitan scale have attracted an increasing amount of research interest. The evolution and variety of theories of intrametropolitan location of American manufacturing has been documented in the literature. The primary objectives of this study are to; 1) examine locational changes in manufacturing within Omaha metropolitan area between 1969-1987, and; 2) assess Omaha’s industrial change pattern as to how it fits into the theoretical pattern as established in the literature. Through the technique of devising a three-zone spatial base across the metropolitan area, it was determined that manufacturing employment in the downtown or inner area has declined relatively to the suburban zone. Manufacturing in the suburban area has performed better by growing faster than manufacturing in the city center. Land zoned for industrial use in downtown Omaha, and industrial parks developed with accessibility to interstate systems were the major factors for present distribution of industrial firms. The suburban zone in the Omaha SMSA appears to have greater potential for increased industrial development. Omaha may very well continue to develop in a way as predicted in the models of urban manufacturing change. However, at present, Omaha has just began the suburbanization phase of manufacturing, unlike most cities over the U. S. as studied in the literature.

Comments

A Thesis Presented to the Department of Geography/Geology and the Faculty of the Graduate College University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts University of Nebraska at Omaha. Copyright Xiaofang Chen July, 1989

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