Spatial Choice in Location‐Allocation Problems: The Role of Endogenous Attraction

Abstract

Spatial choice, a voluntary form of allocation of consumers to central services, is usually conceived as affected by two factors, distance and attraction. Although usually regarded as exogenous, attraction is in turn affected by the level of use a service receives, and thus by spatial choice. This paper explores the system defined by these relationships, largely by simulation. Proposals are made concerning the initiation and perturbation of the system, and attempts are made to generalize the results. Although it is difficult to connect form with process in such a system, it is possible to identify the factors responsible for system stability. 1978 The Ohio State University