Can polycentric cities provide more and higher-order consumer amenities? Evidence from shopping malls in China

It remains unclear whether a polycentric city can support more and higher-order consumer amenities. This paper presents new evidence from shopping malls in China and includes the effect of urban spatial structure on the order of consumer amenities and the moderating effect of transportation infrastructure, both of which have been neglected in previous empirical studies. We find that a monocentric city can provide a greater number and higher order of shopping malls than a polycentric city. Additionally, better transportation infrastructure can compensate for the disadvantage of polycentricity in the provision of low-order shopping malls, while it reinforces the merit of monocentricity in higher-order shopping malls. The findings advance the understanding of the relationship between polycentricity and the quantity and quality of consumer amenities and provide insights into polycentric structure policies.