The Economic Geography Analysis of Fontana Using GIS

Abstract:
<p>The city of Fontana is a thriving suburb in the Inland Empire located 45 miles east of Los Angeles. According to a local profile report published by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), Fontana has a thriving local economy with its logistics industry and access to major business centers. A location quotient statistical analysis using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and American Community Survey (ACS) illustrates an industry specialization value of 2.8 in transportation and warehousing and values less than 0.8 for higher-paying industries such as finance, entertainment, professional, and technology services. A regional growth projection forecast by SCAG indicates the city of Fontana will surpass a population of 260,000 by 2035. With low economic diversity and survey data indicating median home prices of $560,000 and 89.7 percent of Fontana residents commuting to other places to work, can the city of Fontana sustain its population growth? This poster presents research that addresses several factors in Fontana’s growing pains including development plans, zoning policies, and industry recruitment that are necessary to diversify the city’s economy and meet housing demand. Using shift-share analysis, location quotient statistical analysis, ArcGIS Pro, Storymaps, and a case study analysis of regional economic development the findings of this research suggest that Fontana’s city policies should implement demand-side economic strategies, mixed-multi use (MMU) and medium-density zoning to sustain forecasted population growth.&nbsp;</p>

Keywords: Inland Empire, population growth, GIS, shift-share analysis, economic diversity

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