A comparative industrial profile analysis of urban regions in Western Europe: An application of rough set classification

This paper analyses the locational suitability of industrial sites in five urban regions in Western Europe for five classes of economic activity. In the selected regions a total of 46 industrial sites and office locations were visited and judged on their suitability for each of the five classes of economic activity. Given the small sample size and the qualitative nature of the information collected, conventional statistical tools could not be applied, and rough set analysis was used. This proved to be a useful tool in identifying the major driving forces in the relative competitive position of the European regions. The study shows that the regions are not competitors in all aspects, but have their own individual geographic-economic specialisations.