Author: Jean-Paul Rodrigue

The Geography of Transport Systems is cited in a Journal of Commerce piece about collapsible containers. The issue is that the benefits of collapsible containers tend to be exaggerated while their costs and operational hurdles tend to be undermined. https://www.joc.com/maritime-news/container-lines/collapsible-container%E2%80%99s-superior-economics_20190125.html?page=1

Updated an existing page elaborating about a typology of distribution facilities related to e-commerce. The facilities are getting increasingly specialized as e-commerce grows. At this point, 6 main types of facilities have emerged. Logistics Facilities Supporting E-commerce

Was able to compile a dataset containing the location, footprint and types of all the Amazon e-commerce facilities in the United States. This is a rather unique map that shows the impressive geography of freight distribution supporting e-commerce. E-Commerce Facilities Operated by Amazon in the United States, 2018

Added a new page discussing the three functional types of port-centric logistics, which is related to the dominant flow structure; export, intermediate and import. Functional Types of Port Centric Logistics

Added a new page discussing the evolution of port centric logistics. Initially, containerization was a force that undermined the association between port operations and the related logistics activities (as it did with port/city relations). More recently, we are observing a reverse trend where port-centric logistics become more prevalent. Port Centric

Added a page showing a neopanamax ship transiting through the Agua Clara locks taken during the TOC Panama conference. https://transportgeography.org/?page_id=12686

Added a new page presenting the evolution of American Express and Wells Fargo from their origins in the 19th century as freight forwarders to financial institutions in the 20th century. Transportation and information technologies innovations incited both corporations to adapt their business model. Corporate Adaptation to Transport Innovations: American Express

I am currently working on the fifth edition of the Geography of Transport Systems textbook, which hopefully will be published by the end of this year (2019). Some chapters have been reordered. The chapter about transportation, economy and society, which used to be chapter 7, is now chapter 3, with

Updating a page depicting the complex factors behind the growth of containerization. They mainly relate to derived (economic growth), substitution (capture of bulk and break-bulk markets), incidental (trade imbalances) and induced (transshipment) elements. The contribution of each of these factors has not yet been fully assessed.

Wrote a short article for Semana, which is a weekly magazine in Colombia, read throughout Latin America (in Spanish). Tried to articulate the new relationships between ports and the emerging manufacturing landscape of the fourth industrial revolution. https://www.semana.com/contenidos-editoriales/la-cuarta-oportunidad/articulo/por-que-los-puertos-son-el-escenario-perfecto-para-la-manufactura/592829