A New Analytic Approach to Urban Differentiation: Occupational Differentiation within Industries

Abstract

Urban-ecological theory predicts that functional differentiation occurs through time in a system of cities. The preponderance of evidence from relevant studies, however, has suggested convergence rather than differentiation. In contrast to previous studies which have limited themselves to an examination of employment in either industrial or occupational categories, this study examines occupational differentiation within industries. This strategy reveals an overall trend of increasing urban differentiation. It appears that consideration of the occupational composition within industries may be an important precondition to the discovery of functional differentiation among urban communities.