Location trajectories, patterns of establishment clusters and urban form of Lévis
By using disaggregated (high resolution) real estate data of Lévis, this paper attempts to determine and analyze establishment clusters by using Kulldorff’s scan statistics based on the probability model of Bernoulli and Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques to answer these questions: Do establishments tend to cluster by economic sector at specific location? If yes, can we identify economic centers in Lévis? How do the incidence rates vary within those centers? Do establishments’ locations evolve along precise trajectories? Can we infer the urban form of Lévis? The results suggest that three different centers are the main attraction poles for businesses. Establishment clusters evolved by following trajectories along highways near the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, and also along certain roads connecting the shore to the periphery. We can conclude that Lévis predominantly displays characteristics of a polycentric city where establishments co-locate by the same or different sector.