Geographic co-location methodology

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
---
schema: foundry-doc-v1
title: "Geographic Co-Location Methodology"
title: "Geographic co-location methodology"
slug: geographic-co-location-methodology
category: site-selection
type: topic
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ quality: complete
short_description: "Five-degree cluster system scoring retail node proximity from Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary target co-occurrence to rank development sites by anchor strength."
status: stable
bcsc_class: current-fact
last_edited: 2026-07-01
last_edited: 2026-07-11
editor: pointsav-engineering
language_protocol: PROSE-TOPIC
source_refs:
@@ -18,12 +18,32 @@ paired_with: geographic-co-location-methodology.es.md
cites: []
---

The **Geographic Co-Location Methodology** is the spatial analysis discipline Woodfine Management Corp. applies to identify and rank potential Development Sites across its three primary jurisdictions. The methodology scores retail nodes by the proximity and combination of anchor retailers operating in the geography, producing a ranked dataset of sites in which development investment is validated by the demonstrable commercial commitments of institutional retailers rather than by speculative demographic projections.
The **Geographic Co-Location Methodology** is the spatial analysis discipline MCorp applies to identify and rank potential Development Sites across its three primary jurisdictions. The methodology scores retail nodes by the proximity and combination of anchor retailers operating in the geography, producing a ranked dataset of sites in which development investment is validated by the demonstrable commercial commitments of institutional retailers rather than by speculative demographic projections.

**Correction (2026-08-02):** "three primary jurisdictions" contradicts this
article's own "Required Site Count by Jurisdiction" table below (which lists only
Canada/US/Mexico, omitting Spain) and, more consequentially, contradicts the sibling
article [[power-centre-co-location-thesis]] (same `last_edited` date, 2026-07-11):
"The Power Centre co-location requirement applies consistently across all **four**
qualified jurisdictions: Canada, the United States, Spain, and Mexico." The
four-jurisdiction, Spain-inclusive version is also the one consistent with
[[location-intelligence-strategy]]'s detailed coverage plan and the JOURNAL working
paper's inclusion of Spain (MITMA data, 58 clusters). This article is the outlier.
**Flagged, not resolved.**

The methodology produces five cluster degrees, each representing a more refined level of anchor co-occurrence. Higher-degree clusters indicate that a geography has attracted multiple categories of institutional commercial investment — a compound validation of market conditions that exceeds the threshold any single anchor produces alone.

## The Five-Degree Cluster System

**Correction (2026-08-02):** this name collides with a differently-defined "Five-
Degree Framework" in the JOURNAL working paper
[[geometric-site-selection-national-tenancy]] §4.3, which defines its own 1st degree
as "Primary anchor only... maps approximately to T3" — no secondary anchor required
until the 2nd degree, unlike this article's First-Degree definition below (which
requires a secondary anchor at the very first rung). Same name, same "Degree"
vocabulary, same 5.0 km tertiary threshold, but genuinely different admission rules
at each rung — neither article acknowledges the other. **Flagged, not resolved.**

The five cluster degrees are constructed from two radius thresholds: a 1.0 km threshold applied to Primary and Secondary Target co-occurrence, and a 5.0 km threshold applied to Tertiary Target proximity. Each degree builds on the prior.

### First- and second-degree clusters
@@ -44,7 +64,7 @@ The five cluster degrees are constructed from two radius thresholds: a 1.0 km th

## Radius Calibration

The 1.0 km threshold for Primary-Secondary co-occurrence reflects the operational reality of [[power-centres|power centre]] site design: retailers in the same commercial node or corridor are typically within this distance of each other, and proximity at this radius confirms shared site infrastructure rather than coincidental geographical proximity. The 5.0 km threshold for Tertiary co-occurrence reflects the wider catchment pattern of institutional employers. A university or major hospital does not anchor a power centre — it anchors a geography. Five kilometres is a drive time of approximately five to eight minutes in a [[about-regional-markets|Regional Market]] context, within the commute tolerance of professional services tenants.
The 1.0 km threshold for Primary-Secondary co-occurrence reflects the operational reality of [[power-centres|power centre]] site design: retailers in the same commercial node or corridor are typically within this distance of each other, and proximity at this radius confirms shared site infrastructure rather than coincidental geographical proximity. The 5.0 km threshold for Tertiary co-occurrence reflects the wider catchment pattern of institutional employers. A university or major hospital does not anchor a power centre — it anchors a geography. Five kilometres is a drive time of approximately five to eight minutes in a [[about-regional-markets-system|Regional Market]] context, within the commute tolerance of professional services tenants.

### Recalibration trigger at 10%