The economics of disappearing distance

This text focuses on the role of tangible and intangible networks that affect spatial interdependencies in economic and social life. Interaction across geographical space is made possible and facilitated by different categories of interdependent networks, in urban regions and between regions. Some of these networks embed innovative technologies for communication, economic decisions and governance in such a way that the role of distance may be reduced. For certain types of interaction these changes seem to bring about a globalization of markets as well as social life in general. Hence the question - is distance disappearing? Moreover can we observe new forms of the distance phenomenon? Is distance becoming more important in the exchange of knowledge and ideas? Distortion of distance patterns are examined in this text for interaction in a city system, interaction between local communities of an urban region, traffic flows with congestion, migration between functional regions, transportation of goods, and energy supply and distribution flows. The consequences of these changes in spatial interdependencies are analysed with regard to spatial equilibrium patterns for urban regions and systems of regions; the distribution of economic activities and population; productivity change; and growth and morbidity patterns. In this context several contributions focus on the size of an urban region and its market potentials. Does the importance of size change when interregional links for interaction are improved? Are networks inside a region evolving into a bottleneck problem for future development? At the same time the contributions elaborate theory and methods by examining hierarchical fields of internal and external influence on regional change; sources of productivity growth in a network of industries; adaptive behaviour in transport decisions; and endogenous growth and development policies. The book ends with an assessment of plan evaluation methodologies for a changing and globalizing world characterized by new economic networks and networking arrangements.