Vance’s Commuting Analysis: An Application in Tempe, Arizona

In a 1960 study of Natick, Massachusetts, James E. Vance, Jr., showed how this Boston suburb’s character evolved as intraurban transportation and local employers’ labor needs changed. His analysis relied on two concepts: a community’s laborshed, the area from which employees are drawn, and its employment field, the area in which residents work. This Tempe, Arizona, study demonstrates the applicability of Vance’s concepts to present-day inner suburbs in Southwestern metropolitan areas using two modem procedures, a geographic information system analysis and sampling from employee commuting surveys collected by the Maricopa County Regional Travel Reduction Program. While data availability may limit comparative studies, Tempe’s 1990 extensive laborshed and smaller employment field reveal that this inner suburb is both a bedroom community and a satellite employment center.