Modélisation spatiale de la formation des agglomérations dans la zone algéroise

Abstract

The goal of this study is to analyze the dynamics underlying Algiers urban area formation with reference to The New Economic Geography (NEG) theories and more precisely to the paper of Paul Krugman (1991), "Increasing returns and economic geography" which explains the mechanisms of economic activities concentration through two types of forces: centripetal forces enhancing the economic activities concentration and centrifugal forces hindering the agglomeration process. In fact, these mechanisms are translated into a system of nonlinear equations which is very hard to solve analytically. As a consequence, the use of numerical methods is highly advocated. We present some numerical simulations using real Algerian data.