Representation of economic agents and their activity in integrated land-use and transportation models is increasingly becoming disaggregate thereby requiring the corresponding spatial environment also to be represented in much finer detail. This representation can greatly benefit by thoroughly operationalizing and emphasizing the critical element of `location' in better understanding spatial behavior of business establishments within this framework. This dissertation research study strives to contribute to this growing body of knowledge in three major directions. First, presented is a methodological framework that captures for each location properties in-terms of its closeness, intermediacy, straightness and accessibility to all other locations in any study area. Second, we present a modeling approach to comprehensively assess the locational impacts on economic efficiency of business establishments, thereby identifying the highest and lowest performers in the region.

Finally, we make a case to use dynamic analysis in thoroughly investigating the spatial dimension of business establishment lifecycle events as related to business establishment formation, relocation and dissolution. Results from this dissertation clearly reveal the presence of a core-periphery (or center-sub center) type of a city model in Santa Barbara County. Furthermore, the results from the network-centrality indicators also suggest that geometric configuration and structure of the transportation network have a prominent role in spatial organization of economic activities in the region. Business establishments' economic efficiency is also significantly influenced (positive or negative) by the relative location in the regional transportation network of each establishment. For instance, retail trade business establishments located in downtown areas of Santa Barbara and Santa Maria have the highest levels of efficiency (maximizing profits) in the region.

Moreover, business establishments' internal attributes also have a profound impact of business establishment efficiency, with larger and older business establishments being more efficient than business establishments that are smaller in size and younger in age. Also, access to public transportation in the region has a positive effect on business establishment economic efficiency, especially for business establishments in retail trade, professional and healthcare services. Model estimation results clearly reveal the presence of spatial heterogeneity in business establishment lifecycle events of formation, relocation and dissolution in the region. For instance, highly central locations in the region such as downtown areas have a higher probability of business establishment formation along with lower likelihood for business establishment dissolution.

Furthermore, professional service business establishments located along major local and collector roads in these locations are in spatially "sticky" locations and survive longer. Overall, however, the results suggest that lifecycle events of business establishments as related to birth, relocation and failure are primarily triggered by changes in business establishment internal attributes.