"This paper examines city formation in a country whose urban population is growing steadily over time, with new cities required to accommodate this growth. In contrast to most of the literature there is immobility of housing and urban infrastructure, and investment in these assets is taken on...

"The share of metropolitan residents living in central cities declined dramatically from 1950 to 2000. We show that, if not for a series of demographic factors - notably renewed immigration, delayed child bearing, and a decline in the share of households headed by veterans, who are eligible for...