Impact of modern logistics on industrial location choice and property markets

The debate on the impact of modern logistics on industrial location choice and property markets focuses on (1) whether modern inventory control and supply- chain configuration consolidate manufacturing and distribution locations and (2) whether modern logistics have reduced the demand for industrial real estate. In this research, I test the hypothesis that modern logistics have been restructuring industrial manufacturing and distribution networks, dispersing firms into certain regions to achieve the economies of dispersion, and reducing the demand for industrial space per unit of industrial output. The methodology used includes (a) theoretical analysis, (b) statistical and econometric analysis, (c) case studies, and (d) comparative analysis. Because the theoretical analysis does not provide a clear conclusion, I rely on empirical analyses to derive the actual impact or implications. Principle findings from the U.S. empirical study include (1) the changes in the distribution sector have a more significant impact on industrial location choice and property markets than the changes in the manufacturing sector; (2) both manufacturing and distribution industries have been dispersed in the past two decades; (3) improvement of inventory control is almost ubiquitous and, within a supply chain, certain players' gains are not necessarily at the cost of their suppliers' or customers' losses; (4) the traditional partial stock-adjustment model using yearly data does not explain the industrial property market well.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2007

Author dc:creator

• Li, Yu, 1976-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Karen R. Polenske.

• Urban Studies and Planning.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/42259

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/42259