SHRINKING HOUSEHOLD SIZE AND ITS EFFECT ON URBAN POPULATION DENSITY PATTERNS: A CASE STUDY OF PHOENIX, ARIZONA

Increased divorce, declining fertility and mortality, and changing lifestyles have resulted in a consistent decline in average household size in U.S. urban areas. The purpose of this paper is to show that decreases in household size between 1970 and 1975 were spatially variable in metropolitan Phoenix and that this affected the overall pattern of residential density. This is demonstrated by a series of maps depicting average household size in 1970, changes therein between 1970 and 1975, and the relationships between changes in population, numbers of dwelling units, and household size in the study area.