Yorgos Papageorgiou admittedly worked at the margins of regional science, economics, planning, and geography. Although working between disciplinary margins along with the level of theorization and abstraction meant that his work was not universally or widely accessible to many researchers, he contributed to regional science through his theorization of the role of space and spatial processes in urban settings.
In this chapter by Bruce Newbold, Yorgos’ academic career and his contributions to the field of regional science are reviewed. The discussion focuses on his theoretical contributions to urban economic theory that have enhanced our understanding of how urban location and land use are shaped by forces including agglomeration, transportation, housing, local public finances, migration, and residential preferences. His largest and most influential works include his theoretical insights into central places, agglomeration, multi-centered cities, and dynamic equilibrium. His work related to central place theory demonstrates a direct lineage to work by Christaller and von Thünen and later work by Muth, Alonso and Casetti. Described by Richard Arnott as “of the most distinguished and venerable urban economic theorists” (Arnott, 1999, p. xviii), Yorgos’ work was recognized through two Honorary Doctorates, the Medal of Poitiers at the Annual European Congress of the Regional Science Association, and as a Fellow of the Regional Science Association International.
