Working Paper 71: More residents more jobs? 2015 update

This paper investigates the relationship between employment density, population density and levels of transport accessibility in London. The main findings are as follows:

• areas within London with a low level of transport accessibility show a strong and significant relationship between employment and population density. In these areas in London, land turned over for housing will have employment growth associated with it in the locality;
• it is estimated that an increase in the resident population of 1,000 in areas of low transport accessibility (predominantly in Outer London, with a higher proportion of employment serving the local population) will on average have the potential to give rise to a further 171 jobs in the locality;
• by contrast, for areas with a high level of transport accessibility, the relationship between population density and employment density is not significant; therefore, an increase in the resident population in these areas does not increase the chances of a rise in local employment. These are areas in which transport accessibility is the strongest driver of employment density.