This book is the first to reconcile traditional 'cultural' approaches with the 'new' economic geography, spatial economics and path dependency as applied to location theory and urban systems.

The transformation of the world economy from a system of nations trading materials-intensive goods to a system of seamless global networks for information-intensive goods and services has created the need for a comprehensive restructuring of transportation and communications activities. The contributors - transportation and communications analysts from Japan and the United States - address this restructuring from a variety of perspectives ranging from theoretical treatments of the role of information in the economy to applications of communications technologies for the collection of travel...

This collection of original research chapters by international scholars addresses the complementary roles of transportation and knowledge and their spatial manifestations in modern urban and regional economies. The featured studies employ the most current and sophisticated technologies, while the authors add a strong element of practical application and policy implications in each chapter. The book is organized into four major themes. The first is infrastructure and economic growth, addressing the historical and contemporary economic impacts of rail, highway and transit infrastructure. The...