TRANSPORTATION AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT: THE PERSISTENT MYTH

The paper offers suggestions concerning beliefs relating the importance of transportation to regional development. Two general issues are reviewed - factors which determine or are believed to determine, economic development, and the role of transportation in this process. Questions are raised about the desirability of regional development policies and the role played by transportation in promoting development. The efficiency of transportation as a means of development is questioned and reasons for this belief are discussed. It is claimed that transportation has a symbolic political importance which outweighs its real economic importance. This implies that it is unrealistic to expect that concern about policy can be satisfied by transportation policy reform. It is concluded that the political role of transport can only be realised by careful analysis and research, and not as a result of emotive political debate. (TRRL)

Corporate Authors:
University of British Columbia, Vancouver

Faculty of Commerce
Vancouver, British Columbia Canada
Authors:
- Waters, W G
Publication Date: 1979

Media Info

Pagination: p. 527-544
Serial:
- LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORTATION REVIEW
- Volume: 15
- Issue Number: 4

Subject/Index Terms

TRT Terms: Development; Economic development; Economic efficiency; Economics; Industries; Policy; Politics; Regional planning; Regional transportation; Socioeconomic factors; Transportation; Transportation planning; Transportation policy
Uncontrolled Terms: Efficiency
ITRD Terms: 9013: Development; 255: Economics; 5911: Efficiency; 332: Industry; 173: Policy; 359: Regional planning; 1155: Transport
Subject Areas: Economics; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Society; Transportation (General); I10: Economics and Administration; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

Accession Number: 00330697
Record Type: Publication
Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
Files: ITRD, TRIS
Created Date: May 21 1981 12:00AM