Do Industrial Firms Follow Zoning? Changing Firm Location and the Introduction of Metropolitan Zoning

Limited research examines the relationship between land-use zoning and industrial activity over time, with little known beyond standard narratives of industrial suburbanisation. We combine records of zoning controls and firm location to examine their associations in Melbourne, Australia between 1954 and 1974 following the introduction of comprehensive zoning. Results show increasing concentrations of industrial firms in industrial zones and confirm significant suburbanisation of industry. However, counter to dominant narratives, results reveal increasing firm numbers in inner industrial zones. These shifts play out over several decades, illustrating the longer time horizons needed to understand relationships between zoning and urban restructuring.