| Abstract: | Ports are very visible manifestations of economic activity. Not only are they vital systems of infrastructure, indispensable to the smooth operations of international trade and, hence, the nation's well-being, but they can also serve as industrial complexes in their own right. They are, in effect, symbols of integrated growth centres enjoying both service and manufacturing sectors. Mindful of these critical attributes, planners have attempted to render them into positive elements of economic development, not excepting regional economic development. This study examines one such rendition, the port of Taichung, Taiwan, founded as a deliberate act of government to fulfil two objectives; namely, to facilitate the island's export-promotion strategy by avoiding trade disruption stemming from anticipated port bottlenecks and, secondly, to spearhead formal commitments to balanced regional growth. The approach adopted in this paper is essentially one of qualitative evaluation; that is to say, it examines the degree to which Taichung Harbour has conformed to the demanding expectations set for it. Serious structural limitations are elicited, limitations which have prevented the port from realizing its full potential. By the same token, the port's role in advancing balanced regional growth has also been disappointing. As the study shows, the latter result is almost inevitable given the exigencies exposed in the former. This paper concludes by stressing the need for clear formulation of growth-centre functions in conjunction with urging a determination on the part of planners to evade the trap of goal conflicts. |
