Nature’s order? Questioning causality in the modelling of transport networks

Vanoutrive, Thomas; Block, Greet De; Damme, Ilja Van

doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2018.09.026

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Once the advantages have been estimated, they distribute their votes among the different alternatives in proportion to the expected benefits. Unlike other works (Adamatzky and Alonso-Sanz 2011 ; Equipo Urbano 1972 ; Vanoutrive et al 2018 ), this procedure involves an intense effort of calculation as each town must estimate the optimal routes and consequent transport costs or gravitational models for each of the other 1814 towns, for each of the 2343 sections that can be improved, for each of the 300 investments and the three voting systems. This means a total of 1.1 × 10 12 optimal routes, transport cost calculations, and gravitational models.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complex networks to understand the past: the case of roads in Bourbon Spain

2020

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The work aims to study, using GIS techniques and network analysis, the development of the road network in Spain during the period between the War of Succession and the introduction of the railway (1700-1850). Our research is based on a detailed cartographic review of maps made during the War of Succession, largely improving preexisting studies based on books of itineraries from the sixteenth century onwards. We build a new, complete map of the main roads at the beginning of the eighteenth century along with the matrix of transport costs for all the important towns describing the communications network. Our study of this complex network, supplemented by a counterfactual analysis carried out using a simulation model based on agents using different centralized decision-making processes, allows us to establish three main results. First, existing trade flows at the beginning of the eighteenth century had a radial structure, so the Bourbon infrastructure plan only consolidated a preexisting situation. Second, the development of the network did not suppose important alterations in the comparative centrality of the regions. Finally, the design of the paved road network was adequate for the economic needs of the country. These findings are in stark contrast with claims that the radial structure of the Bourbon roads was designed ex-novo with political or ideological objectives rather than economic ones. Our methodology paves the way to further studies of path-dependent, long-term processes of network design as the key to understanding the true origin of many currently existing situations.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complex networks to understand the past: the case of roads in Bourbon Spain

2020

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“…It confirms that the spatial hierarchy of cities tends to changes over time. And in the long history of the development of settlement networks, it appears that urban systems are dominated by various urban centers, but not necessarily by those which gained the dominant position in the final phase of the process (Macmillan and Huang 2008;Vanoutrive et al, 2018). Notably, the domination processes would always take place, even if the cities included in the hexagonal model would have identical attractiveness, e.g., in terms of urban mass.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fractal Dimension Complexity of Gravitation Fractals in Central Place Theory

Banaszak

Górnisiewicz

Nijkamp³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Settlement centers of various types, including cities, produce basins of attraction whose shape can be regular or complexly irregular (from the point of view of geometry). It depends, among others, on the properties of the space surrounding a city. Central Place Theory (CPT), a well-known concept in economic geography and spatial economics, explains the spatial structure inherent in distinct economic orders of urban centers in geographical space. In Christaller’s original formulation the fundamental architecture of CPT is based on a static approach which focuses on the optimal division of space around urban centers, while following pre-specified plausible rules of supplying them with goods from other places. Conducted in the spirit of recent works, this study demonstrates that by introducing a dynamic approach to space and including an equation of motion and space resistance, a dramatic change of the idealized static CPT image occurs. As a result of the interplay of gravitational forces, basins of attraction arise around cities, whose boundaries are fractals. This paper provides a wealth of spatial fractal complex images that question the relevance and validity of traditional CPT.

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“…It is to this small but growing Studying how informality shapes the navettes further requires deconstructing the predominantly Western gaze that has thus far scrutinised informality in predominantly a-political, economistic and technocratic ways. Mainstream informal transport literature remains largely detached from critical research into mobilities (Adey, 2010;Cresswell, 2006;Hannam et al, 2006;, political economy of transport (Enright, 2016;Kębłowski et al, 2019;Vanoutrive et al, 2018), and informality and diverse economies (Gibson-Graham, 2008;Morris & Polese, 2014a;Williams, 2004)-particularly in urban settings (McFarlane, 2012;Roy, 2009) and among marginalised urban populations (Jordhus-Lier et al, 2019;Kamete, 2017). Resonating with the continued dominance of neoclassical and sustainable perspectives in transport research and policy (Kębłowski & Bassens, 2018), this literature remains Eurocentric, privileging "Western" knowledge and experience of producing and governing urban transport, promoting market-based competition, and techno-economistic "best practices" and "fixes".…”

Section: Drawing the Limits Of Mainstream Informal Transport Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%