Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Geography & Environmental Studies

Faculty/School

Faculty of Arts

First Advisor

Not applicable

Advisor Role

Not applicable

Abstract

In Hamilton, Ontario from 1969 to 1973 the Civic Square Urban Renewal Project was carried out in part of the Central Business District. As a result most of the businesses in the project area were forced to move. This thesis examines the relocation decision which was made by the entrepreneurs who operated retail businesses in the Civic Square Area. The factors which were considered important as input in their decision were incorporated into a model which projects a relocation diffusion pattern similar to the actual pattern created when these businesses spread to other sections of the C.B.D.

The likelihood of the retailer choosing to relocate on a particular block within the C.B.D. is related to a number of factors which are combined in the model. These include the number of store sites in a block, the frequency of vacant stores that occur in the area and the distance of the new site from the original location in the C.B.D. However, not all businesses were prepared to compete for the most desirable locations. Those firms which had not been paying a low rent or were less successful were not likely to outbid a firm which was very successful and had previously been able to afford high rent for a prime location. Thus the probability that a block in the C.B.D. would receive a business which is relocating is modified to allow for these differences.

Considering the factors outlined above each block of the C.B.D. is assigned a probability that reflects the likelihood of that block receiving a business which is moving from the Civic Square Area. The probabilities are then converted to addresses, and each business is assigned a new location according to a random number. This stochastic technique is introduced because it is possible all pertinent factors have not been included or that all ramifications of factors included have not been considered.

The number of business which are projected for each block is compared to the actual number of businesses which relocated in that block. In this study Pearsonian Product Moment Correlation results varied from .624 to .654. The model is simple to use and is useful in projecting relocation diffusion patterns of retail businesses resembling the actual relocation diffusion pattern.

Convocation Year

1975

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