The city and its port—an economic appraisal

Following a brief examination of the role of ports as foci for industrial and urban development, this paper discusses four major changes—the scale of international trade, structural changes in port activities, port industrialization, and traffic origin and destination—which are acting to alter the relationship between ports and their urban areas. Attention is then focused on the redevelopment of docklands and the need to inform public and political opinion of the importance of port activities to the development of local, regional and national economies. The use of economic impact studies to highlight the multiplier effects of port activities is discussed.     

The impact of the Habitats Directive on European port operations and management

Thirteen years since the EU Habitats Directive (1992/43/EEC) became a binding legal agreement, this paper considers the implementation of this important European environmental legislation as it applies to the coastal activities of seaports and harbours. The paper examines the relationship between environmental legislation and ports policy, and seeks to provide a comprehensive assessment of the policy and science that has been developed in relation to protected areas and port management. The paper reports the results of a survey of European port professionals, and their perception of the successes and challenges of the management regimes that have been established, as well as their opinions on how these have influenced the management within ports. The paper also provides a detailed examination of the scientific and technical developments with particular regard to dredging and habitat management in European ports. Key research gaps are identified, including: practical approaches to licensing procedures; lack of baseline information, especially with regard to in-combination effects; the efficacy of techniques for mitigating the impacts of dredging; and greater understanding on how more resilient models for collaborative action can be developed. The paper will be of use to environmental planners, scientists, regulators, conservationists, and port managers, as they consider how to apply science and management to the sustainable development and environmental protection of coastal areas.     

The distribution and growth of urban settlements in Saudi Arabia

This paper examines the distribution characteristics of urban settlements in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through major dimensions such as settlement regularly, degree of primacy and polarisation at the national and geographic regional levels. The paper points out that the settlement pattern at the national level has transformed from a primate distribution during the pre-plan period (< 1970) to an intermediary distribution during the period of development planning (1970 >). At the geographical regional level the settlement distribution, however, has shown diverse pattern. While the regional settlement distribution of Western and Eastern Region have shown trends of increasing polarisation, settlements in the Northern and Southern Regions are more log-normal in character. This is explained by the increasing growth of small and intermediary towns in the Northern and Southern Regions. The paper concludes that the national trend of decreasing urban primacy, induced by the decentralised national development strategies, is less pronounced due to the absence of a balanced regional investment policy. Since the government expenditure and settlement population growth rates are not related, slow growing primate cities continue to receive a larger share of public expenditure, enabling them to retain their primacy. This calls for a balanced regional investment policy to fully realise the national strategy of regional balance and multi-polar settlement pattern.     

Recent developments in planning the settlement hierarchy of Barbados: Implications concerning the debate on urban primacy

The topic of big-city growth is receiving increasing attention from geographers, economists, planners and environmentalists, particularly in relation to the likely social and economic impact of urban primacy, and the theoretical and practical implications of optimal city size. This short paper examines these issues in the context of Barbados, where Bridgetown, the chief port and capital city houses some 42% of the island's total population. Initially, the recommendations of the Physical Development Plan for Barbados, published in 1970 with United Nations technical assistance, are presented. In essence, the plan advocated the creation of a hierarchy of settlements within the island by the 1980s, in order to counter the perceived supremacy of Bridgetown. Subsequently, recent progress in promoting the decentralization of population and facilities from Bridgetown is reviewed; and in conclusion, the original proposals and recent developments are critically evaluated.     

Determinants of liner shippping network configuration: a two-region comparison

The worldwide network of container transport services is becoming increasingly diffuse. The different strategies of shipping lines, the balance of power between shipping lines and shippers and constraints related to inland transportation all have a potential impact on the development of maritime shipping networks. Moreover, strategic alliances between the port and the shipping industry, which have both been driven by strong concentration processes and vertical integration, have a profound influence on the maritime network structure and also on the grade of integration of a region in the global maritime transport network. This paper seeks to understand the evolution of maritime networks in and between two differently developed regions. The focus is on the trade route and networks between the West Coast of South America and Northern Europe. The paper analyses the network structures and the behaviour of shipping lines in different economic contexts and port systems. Current and historical developments in the two regions under study have led to their relative position within the global maritime network and illustrate the potential implications of being peripheral or central in this network. The empirical results are compared with known strategies of shipping lines. The authors aim to answer the question of how far the configuration of hinterlands determines calling patterns and if strategic alliances and vertical integration reduce footloose behaviour of shipping lines. Further, we discuss how far, under the current configuration, shipping lines influence port development, and also the reverse situation of how far port accessibility and performance influence maritime network developments. The two region approach provides insights on the constraining factors of maritime network development between two differently developed regions and the associated implications for trade development.     

Peripherality in the global container shipping network: the case of the Southern African container port system

Regional trade co-operation, economic growth and greater political stability have enabled increased container throughput and container port capacity development. Earlier academic work has indicated that the functional position of this port region in the global maritime network might be shifting from a remote region in the periphery of the network to a more intermediate position. This paper aims to analyze the changing level of peripherality and remoteness of the Southern African container port system as part of the global container shipping network. The central hypothesis is that Southern Africa has moved from a remote shipping region to a more central shipping region in the global network. The methodology consists of the calculation of network measures for Southern African ports. The changing geographical distribution of flows among the main container ports in South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Mauritius and Madagascar will also be explored in terms of their respective shipping services, port calling patterns, market structure (in terms of the number of active carriers) and the up-scaling of vessel and port capacity. The overall result is a mapped port hierarchical structure with a clear indication of the shifted maritime centrality of Southern African ports from 1996 to the present decade.     

The Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore Growth Triangle: Sub-regional economic cooperation and integration

Regional economic cooperation is being re-considered in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries comprising Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Brunei. The political leadership in each of the member countries appearsto have recognised that regional integration of their economies hold out better prospects for economic competitiveness and sustained growth. The diversity among the ASEAN states however, explains the mixed reaction to development schemes that have been premised on regional cooperation and economic integration. It is the paradox that while difference among the ASEAN countries account for some of the toughest competition faced by the region's newly industrialising economies, these differences have also been the reason behind integration and cooperation. This paper examines the growth triangle arrangement initiated by the government of Singapore and involving the Riau Islands in Indonesia and the state of Johor in the neighbouring country of Malaysia. The spatial and economic impact of Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore Growth Triangle, as it is now officially called, is discussed. In spite of the addition of more growth triangles which have been identified following on this pioneering effort in the region, the discussion will highlight the limits to such cooperation at least, among the newly industrializing economies in the region.     

Dispossessing irrigators: Water grabbing,supply-side growth and farmer resistance in India

This paper examines, first, the conditions under which irrigating farmers are being alienated from their water through a state-led process of dispossession, and then, second, details the dialectical process of farmers’ resistance to these efforts. The paper advances recent scholarship on water grabbing and ‘accumulation by dispossession’ by drawing on a case from northwestern India to explore the connections between non-agrarian economic growth, irrigated agriculture and farmer livelihoods. Specifically, it examines an urban water infrastructure development project that aims to provide water to Jaipur, the Indian state of Rajasthan’s capital city, through the appropriation of an existing rural dam/reservoir complex built for irrigation and redirecting it to domestic, commercial and industrial uses. Drawing on an examination of policy documents and interviews with farmers and state planners, this paper argues that these transfers must be understood as a supply-side solution to support economic growth, where the lack of stable water supplies is a barrier to capital accumulation. The paper contributes to critical scholarship by showing that the processes underpinning water’s reallocation are specific acts of ongoing ‘dispossession’ through extra-economic means under advanced neoliberal capitalism, which alienates water away from peasant producers towards new centers of capital accumulation, dialectically creating peasant resistance to these efforts.     

Planning the development of the socialist city: the case of Dubna New Town

For almost 70 years. Soviet urban planners have enacted policies to create an urban environment designed to further the development of socialism. This paper analyzes the planning and development of one Soviet new town, Dubna, in order to provide insight into Soviet urban planning in general, as well as to identify the problems and prospects for city planners as they attempt to translate general socialist planning goals into reality. The study indentifies specific characteristics of the ideal Soviet socialist city and examines the extent to which these have been realized in Dubna. This allows a comparison between the actual accomplishments of local officials in Dubna and the ideal planning goals expressed throughout the Soviet urban literature. It also helps identify barriers to effective implementation of urban policies, barriers that help explain the disparity between the real and the ideal. Given the strong parallels between Soviet and British new towns, the examination is further enhanced by comparing Dubna with British new towns. Using the British case as a yardstick provides a crosscultural comparison that extends our understanding of the Soviet case, where data and analyses are lacking.     

The development of warehousing in England

Over the past decade there has been a growing recognition by the business community, central government and local planners of the economic importance of warehousing. This importance can be measured in terms of the value of stock held in warehouses, their very rapid growth relative to other types of commercial property and the employment they create. This article reviews changes in business and planning attitudes to warehousing, accounts for the recent growth of warehouse floorspace in England and examines the spatial distribution of this growth.     

Disaster risk assessment of ports based on the perspective of vulnerability

Global environmental changes have led to frequent occurrences of climatic extremes. The increasingly frequent and high-magnitude natural disasters in Taiwan have caused significant mortality, injury, and property damage. In response, there have been requests to improve the capacity to cope with extreme climatic conditions through increased awareness and identification of vulnerability. Disruptions to transportation systems affect the resilience for sustaining daily operations. Among the various types of transportation systems, ports provide substantial employment and industrial activity, contributing to national and regional development. In addition, ports integrate the functions of supply chains such as services in logistics, information, and business, becoming the location of industrial clusters. Therefore, this study examines the risk of port failures from the perspective of vulnerability. Specifically, seven vulnerable factors derived from the extant literature and lessons learned from the previous disaster cases are evaluated using geographic information systems. The results reveal that port capacity and efficiency have a significant effect on port vulnerability in which the efficiency of gantry cranes, labor productivity, free trade zone business volume, and ground access networks play crucial roles in port failure. Moreover, the risks associated with port operation are evaluated by overlapping a hazard map of areas prone to debris flows and tsunami inundation. The risk maps can assist decision makers in understanding the vulnerability and adopting appropriate strategies to minimize disaster risks.     

Moving workers with the work: State selection, key workers and spatial development policy in post-war Britain

Spatial and planning policies in Britain have increasingly become focused on regional inequalities and the creation of mixed, sustainable and balanced communities. Within these new policy paradigms the category of the key workers has emerged as an essential element in the socio-economic sustainability of any bounded area programmes have been introduced to support their needs. Yet, defining key workers is an inherently political process as it necessitates the selection of essential and non-essential workers. Theoretical approaches that highlight state selectivity and the ways in which key policy subjects and objects are identified and mobilised have become increasingly popular across the social sciences and key worker support programmes provide a clear example of these processes in action. This paper draws on archival research to explore the formation of the category ‘key’ worker as an object of government in spatial development policies of the post-war period. It examines how key worker programmes were established to tackle the economic problems of Development Areas. It argues that definitions of key workers were forged in and through particular social, political, and economic contexts and that their emergence as an object of government presupposed and reinforced the existence of different classes of workers and different types of citizens. The paper highlights the significance of such historical work in assessments of contemporary policy and academic debates concerning the changing character of sustainable communities and citizenship, regional development, and changing modes of state regulation.     

Provincial disparities in levels of living: The case of Spain, 1970–1981

Regional inequalities in economic development in Spain are widely recognised, but similar patterns of levels of living have been less studied. Some of the general factors which might contribute to regional inequalities are discussed. Although it is difficult to identify their precise role, it is argued that the pattern of economic growth, the character of regional economic structures, population distribution and urbanisation, return migration, and the nature of Spanish regional and local government all contribute in varying ways to inequalities in levels of living in different regions. Furthermore, they suggest that such inequalities have persisted throughout the 1970's. The regional patterns are then described and trends of change between 1970 and 1981 examined. The evidence suggests that the decade saw a widening dichotomy in levels of living in Spain with the south and west showing deterioration and the N and E showing relative improvement.     

Marketing strategies: a container foreland study of the port of Miami

The marketing of port forelands will become increasingly more important in an era of load center development resulting from container technologies. In this paper, we have provided a mechanism for identifying overseas port marketing areas where trade development and port promotion should be exercised. The Port of Miami's trade relationships were the foci of this study. Location quotients served to highlight the competitive aspect of port facilities.     

Economic reforms and the New Master Plan of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: Implementation issues and policy recommendations

The economic reforms or `doi moi' introduced in 1986 have transformed Vietnam's planned economy to a more market-oriented one. Rise in international capital, market liberalisation and greater population mobility have contributed towards a greater concentration of squatters in the city centre, and extended metropolitan development in the fringes of Ho Chi Minh City. Rapid urbanisation and, to a lesser extent, industrialisation have converted large tracts of farmlands to urban use, and greater rural exodus. Such dramatic changes have drawn the city government's attention to face the new challenges. As a very important political and economic centre in the south, Ho Chi Minh City has prepared for itself a new Master Plan, approved in 1997, to provide a legitimate and institutional framework to guide its future spatial development. This paper introduces the background and explains the rationale behind the drafting of the Master Plan, and highlights the constraints that are expected in implementing it. The administrative framework in planning is also examined in terms of its advantages and disadvantages in a planning system with four levels: national, provincial, district and local. Land availability in the city centre, source of funding and technical expertise are all parts and parcels of the challenges in the process of modernising HCMC to accommodate the need of its residents and rapid global change. Ho Chi Minh City's strong relationships with its hinterlands have equally required the planners to look at the planning field using the whole national and regional scenarios. Policy recommendations aimed at improving the implementation capability are finally presented. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Containerisation in the ports of Northern and Western Europe

This paper examines some of the contemporary features of containerisation at the ports of Northern and Western Europe. Ports are having to adjust to a wide range of forces, both local and global. Enhanced competition between ports is shaping developments. Ports have to keep pace with technological developments and thus there are great pressures to expand their facilities. In addition, links with hinterland markets have to be improved and extended. The paper demonstrates that these pressures are being felt throughout the port system, and through a series of individual and regional examples the dynamism of the European port system is exposed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Understanding regional development mechanisms in Greater Beijing Area,China, 1995–2001, from a spatial–temporal perspective

Due to its rapid economic gains in recent decades, studies of China’s regional development have recently attracted scholarly attentions. Multi-scalar and multi-mechanism are proposed as crucial approaches in China’s regional studies. More advanced methodological development in GIS and spatial analysis also lends power to in-depth understanding of China’s regional development. This study examines the development mechanisms from a spatial–temporal perspective in Greater Beijing Area (GBA), China. In particular, with panel data of GBA from 1995 to 2001 at county level, the study intends to apply a spatial panel regression analysis to study the well identified regional development mechanisms, namely, institutional factors, globalization and urbanization. Based on the panel data analysis, a tentative geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) is also proposed to explore the potentially varying relationships between economic development and its mechanisms from a space–time standpoint. Results from the analyses are quite interesting. First, when urbanization seems to hinder regional development in GBA with cross-sectional analysis, the spatial panel analysis indicates that urbanization contributes to GBA’s development in the 7 years span. Second, per capita foreign investment, which was usually deemed one of the major factors of globalization and a financial engine for regional development in the reform China, turns out to be a negligible mechanism in GBA’s development. Third, among all the development mechanisms, the government’s financial capability seems to dominate the regional development in GBA. GTWR analysis further revealed potential non-stationary relationships among the modeled variables, indicating that the functions of regional development mechanisms are inherently heterogeneous both spatially and temporally in GBA.     

The link between trade openness and deforestation for environmental quality in Nigeria

This paper examines the effect of trade openness on deforestation for environmental quality in Nigeria. Autoregressive Distributed Lag bounds testing approach to cointegration was used to achieved the long-run equilibrium relationship among the variables. Economic growth, energy consumption and population were used as control variable. The long-run result shows that the coefficients of trade openness and economic growth are significant and inversely related to deforestation. This suggests that trade openness and growth reduce deforestation and improves environmental quality. Conversely, the long-run coefficient of population is significant and positively related to deforestation, meaning that population increases deforestation and environmental degradation. However, the long-run result for energy consumption did not produce statistical significance. Furthermore, all the short-run results were consistent with their long-run result.     

青藏高原东缘民族区域城镇可持续发展研究

青藏高原东缘区域,由于独特的地理环境和多元民族、经济结构的制约,民族宗教文化、民族贸易的超常亲合及资源开发、人居环境的改善是城镇发展的主要动力.低水平、小规模、职能分工不明确、空间分布差异大是城镇发展的主要特征.严酷封闭的地理环境、落后的社会经济发展状态和脆弱的生态环境是主要的障碍因素.因此选择"小规模、多中心、多层次、适当集中"的区域城镇化模式,强化城镇及区域特色产业,优化生态环境,营造城镇与区域协调发展的外部环境,培育中心城镇是城镇可持续发展的关键.     

The cities of Russia: some recent trends and experience of regional and urban planning

The author examines the recent situation in the development of cities in Russia. Recent trends include a lack of growth and even a decrease in population; extensive economic restructuring; a grave ecological situation in cities; and recent peculiarities in the geopolitical situation and population migration. Due to the new economic, demographic, geopolitical and social situation in Russia it is necessary to re-evaluate the prospects for the development and growth of the big cities in this country. The system of basic documents for regional and city planning in the former USSR and in Russia includes different stages: from The General Scheme for the Settlement Systems of the Country and The Regional Territorial Complex Schemes of Environmental Protection in different regions to the detailed plans for the different parts of cities and towns. The shortcomings of this system and in the process of the realization of the schemes of regional planning and general plans for cities are documented.