Author: Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Before the Industrial Revolution, even with limited technical capabilities, transportation enabled the setting of empires and trade routes. The Industrial Revolution allowed mechanized transportation systems, expanding mobility at the local and global levels. 1. Transportation in the Pre-Industrial Era (pre-1800s) Transportation is closely linked with the
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B.1 – Teaching Transport Geography
Author: Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Transport geography has been part of the curriculum of many geography programs, providing significant conceptual and methodological contributions to the discipline and transportation studies. 1. Transport Geography Education Transportation geography is not a science, but dominantly a field of application. Many spatial theories are relying on
Networks and Spatial Continuity
The purpose of a transportation network is to link locations and thus confer a level of spatial continuity. Networks A and B are servicing the same territory. Still, both have a level of discontinuity (especially network A). If a transfer between those two networks is possible, their combination (network C)
Absolute and Relative Distance in a Network
In an absolute context, distance in a network is a fixed attribute that does not change. For instance, the absolute distance between New York and Boston is about 310 km. The location of the nodes of such a network is also absolute and fixed. In a relative context, distance is
Network Strategies to Service a Set of Locations
Considering a set of locations (nodes) six networks strategies can be established to service them: Minimum construction costs network (A). Network where all locations are linked through a single route. Minimum accessibility network (B). Network where all locations are linked and have the same accessibility level. Nodal network (C). One
Modes of Territorial Occupation by Transport Networks
Transportation networks have three main footprints:
A Typology of Transportation Networks
Many criteria can be used to classify transportation networks. Its level of abstraction can be considered with tangible network representations closely matching reality (such as a road map). Conversely, an abstract network would only symbolize the nodes and flows (such as an airline network). Since transportation networks have a geographical
Network Topology and Connectivity
Source: Adapted from William Black (2000) “An Unpopular Essay on Transportation”, Douglas Fleming lecture, Presented at the meeting of the Association of American Geographers, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Several alternatives, each having a specific topology, are possible to establish a level of service through a transportation network. Each topology is reflective of
Network Geometry and Number of Links
A network is a set of nodes (locations) linked by links (arcs between locations), and a graph is the symbolic representation of a network. The following attributes characterize network geometry: For a node to be linked to another node n/2 links are necessary for an even number of nodes and
Network Topologies
A network topology is related to the arrangement of nodes and links, particularly how each node is linked with the others: