Spatial Versus Non-Spatial Determinants of Shopping Center Rents: Modeling Location and Neighborhood-Related Factors

This study is an attempt to model the economic trade-off between spatial and non-spatial determinants of shopping center rents while assessing the role of neighborhood and location attributes in the rent setting process. For that purpose, two space-related indices, namely the Economic Potential Index (EPI) and the Center Attraction Index (CAI), are designed based on a major origin-destination phone survey and on financial data obtained for eight major shopping centers in Quebec City, Canada. The database, which is processed through a regional GIS, includes 1,007 retail units, representing some 4.4 million square feet of gross leasable area. While findings confirm that the EPI act as a significant determinant of shopping center rents, they also bring out the complexity of the relationships between endogenous and exogenous rent determinants.