JAUE2012-070 In Search of the Urban Scaling Exponent in Urban Growth and Its Implications— A Case Study in Taiwan

Abstract

According to previous investigation, between allometric scaling of cities (socio-economic quantities versus urban populations) and the metabolic rate of organisms (energy versus weight) exists huge divergence that has been evaluated and verified. As urban-scale gets bigger, it posses more income per capita which grows exponentially (i.e., super linear scaling, ß > 1) with urban growth, and generates more urban ills at the same time, such as deterioration of air pollution, higher crime rate, and more slums clustered.
In this study, we quantify urban size (scale) in terms of population N in Taiwan area with the allometric sealing form Y(t) =YoNt)', and attempt to use the data of Urban and Regional Development Statistics of Taiwan Area to seek the allometric relationship between various socio-economic quantities and populations. We find found that the allometric scaling law of cites can not be applied to all cases or all countries. This law (indicator) is sometimes unstable, and in more extreme cases, we could not even find the exact and specific sealing exponent, for example, infrastructure - high way area.