GEOG 80 Transport Geography
Professor: Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Topic 2 – Transportation and the
Spatial Structure
A. Historical Geography of
Transportation
B. Transport and Spatial Organization
C. Transport and Location
D. Future Transportation
Hofstra University, Department of Global Studies & Geography
A – HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF
TRANSPORTATION I
1. Transportation in the Pre-Industrial Era (pre 1800s)
2. The Industrial Revolution and Transportation (1800-1870)
3. Emergence of Modern Transportation Systems (1870-1920)
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Transport Revolutions in Human History
Era
Date
Mobility
Paleolithic
c. 700,000 years ago
First migrations from Africa
c. 35,000 years ago
First migrations by sea to Australasia
c. 18,000 years ago
First migrations to the Americas
c. 4,000 BC
Animal-powered transport
c. 3,500 BC
Wheeled transport
c. 1,500 BC
Long distance navigation in Polynesia
c. 1,000 BC
Roads and canals
From 15th century
Improvements in shipbuilding and navigation
From early 19th century
Railways and steamships
From late 19th century
Internal combustion engines
From early 20th century
Air travel
From mid 20th century
Space travel
Agrarian
Modern
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
1. Transportation in the Pre-Industrial Era (pre
1800s)
■ Limited transport technology
•
•
•
•
•
No mechanized forms of transportation.
High friction of distance.
Harnessing animal labor and wind.
Isolation and limited long distance trade.
Existing long distance trade:
• Reliance on maritime and fluvial transportation.
• High value commodities along established trade routes(e.g. Silk Road).
■ Transportation and empire building
• Roman Empire (road network, 80,000 kilometers, 200 AD).
• Chinese Empire (canal system, 2,500 kilometers).
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
The Silk Road and Arab Sea Routes (8th to 14th
Centuries)
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Roman Road Network, 200 AD
Atlantic
Ocean
Black Sea
Mediterranean Ocean
500 km
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Grand Canal System, China
Beijing
■ The Grand Canal
Tonghui Canal
(Yuan)
Yellow Sea
Yongji Canal
(Sui and Yuan)
Old course of
the Yellow River
(Song)
Yongji Canal
(Sui)
Jiao-Lai Canal
(Yuan)
Jizhou Canal
(Yuan)
Tongji Canal (Sui)
East China
Sea
Jizhou
Luoyang Kaifeng
Bian Canal
(Song)
Huaiyin
Chuzhou
• Achievement of Imperial
hydrological engineering.
• First segments completed around
602 AD (Sui Dynasty).
• At its peak during the Ming
dynasty (1368-1644 AD).
• Totaled about 2,500 kilometers,
1,700 still in use today.
• Grain distribution through the
empire, notably its capitals.
Yangzhou Canal
(Song and Yuan)
Yangzhou
Jiangnan Canal
Suzhou
(Sui, Song and Yuan)
400 km
Hangzhou
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
1. Transportation in the Pre-Industrial Era (pre
1800s)
■ European expansion
• Mastery of sailing and artillery.
• Eastern trade route:
•
•
•
•
Discovered by Portugal.
Cape of good hope reached by 1481.
Gama (1497-99) first to reach India.
China reached by 1513.
• Western trade route:
•
•
•
•
Discovered by Columbus (1492).
Failed to reach Asia (America discovered).
Cabot tried (1497), but also failed.
Magellan (1519-22) successful to round the world.
• Establishment of colonial empires.
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Early European Maritime Expeditions, 1492-1522
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Caravel, 15th Century
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Dutch East India Company, Trade Network, 17th
Century
Regional Trade Network
Inbound Route to Batavia
Inbound Route to Galle
Return Route
Galle
From
Silver
From
Precious metals
Lacquer
To
Silk
Porcelain
Spices
Luxury goods
From To
Cloth Silver
Yarn
Silk
Indigo
Pepper
From To
Coffee Spices
Silk
Amsterdam
China
To
From
Porcelain Spices
Luxury goods
Tea
Cloth
Sugar
Silk
Precious metals
India
Arabia
Japan
Mace
To
Pepper Cardamom
Nutmeg Coffee
Cinnamon Sugar
Cloves Tea
Sappanwood
Galle
Batavia
Sri Lanka
To
From
Cinnamon Cloth
Pepper
Cardamon
Ivory
Arecanuts
Sappanwood
Gems
Indonesia
Spice Islands
Batavia
From
Pepper
Nutmeg
Mace
Cloves
To
Cloth
Silver
Ivory
Cape Town
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Colonial Trade Pattern, North Atlantic, 18th
Century
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
2. The Industrial Revolution and Transportation
(1800-1870)
■ Mechanization of transportation
• Steam engine (as a water pump).
• First steamship on the Delaware river (1790).
• Eventually lead to the development of railways.
■ Regular maritime routes
• Notably over the North Atlantic (Europe – North America).
• The era of clipper ships:
• Fast cargo ships used for intercontinental trade (Asia, Europe, America).
• The emergence of the steamship:
• Savannah (first to cross the Atlantic in 1820).
• Great Britain (first steel and helix propelled ship, 1844).
• Accurate navigation charts (1850s):
• Prevailing winds and sea current used to the advantage of navigation.
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Clipper Ship “Flying Cloud”
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
An Early Steamship, “The Great Britain”, 1845
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Impacts of Maury’s Navigation Charts on Sailing
Time, 1850s
200
187.5
Mean Sailing Days (before)
Mean Sailing Days (after)
150
136
126
124
97
100
63
55
50
23
0
New York - Rio de
Janeiro
England - Australia
Australia - England
New York - San
Francisco
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Break-Even Distance between Sail and Steam, 18501890
18,000
16,000
14,000
KM
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
1850
1860
1870
1880
1890
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
World Trade Routes, 1912
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Liner Transatlantic Crossing Times, 1838 – 1952
(in days)
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1830
1855
1880
1905
1930
1955
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
2. The Industrial Revolution and Transportation
(1800-1870)
■ Land transport systems
• Serious problems of land transportation.
• Roads were commonly unpaved and could not be used to
effectively carry heavy loads.
• Attempts to develop toll road systems (Turnpikes in UK).
■ Freight shipping canals
• Bridgewater Canal, Britain (1761).
• Erie Canal, New York (1825).
• Linking different segments of fluvial systems into a
comprehensive waterway system.
• Fluvial barges.
• Lowered significantly land transport costs.
• Permitted initial industrialization.
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Turnpikes in Great Britain, Late 18th and Early
19th Century
35,000
30,000
25,000
Km
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
1650
1700
1750
1800
1850
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Mail Coach, Great Britain, 18th Century
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Bridgewater Canal, Manchester, 1767
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Erie Canal, New York, 1829
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
2. The Industrial Revolution and Transportation
(1800-1870)
■ Railway systems
• First commercial rail line in 1830 (Manchester-Liverpool; 40
miles).
• Access to national resources and markets:
• The triumph of inland transportation.
• First urban systems.
• End of the canal era:
• Many canals fell into disrepair.
• Unable to compete with the speed and flexibility of rail.
• Only the most strategic links were kept.
• From a point-to-point to an integrated rail system:
• Large companies.
• Standard gauge.
• Standard times zones (1884)
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Completion of the Transcontinental Railway,
1869
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
3. Emergence of Modern Transportation Systems
(1870-1920)
■ Growth of international transportation
• Shift from coal to oil in ships:
• Reduce their energy consumption by a factor of 90%.
• Increase in ship size (no longer limited by wood).
• Construction of the Suez and Panama canals.
■ Dominance of the rail transport system
• By the early 20th century, most systems reached their peak.
• Overinvestment and over development.
• A phase of decline then began.
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Rail Track Mileage, United States, 1833-2006
300,000
250,000
Miles of tracks
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
1830
1850
1870
1890
1910
1930
1950
1970
1990
2010
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Geographical Impacts of the Suez and Panama
Canals
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Effects of the Suez and Panama Canals on Travel
Distances (in nautical miles)
New York - Sydney
Liverpool - San Francisco
New York - San Francisco
London - Singapore
London - Bombay
0
via Panama Canal
2,000
4,000
via Magellan Straits
6,000
8,000
via Suez Canal
10,000
12,000
14,000
via Cape of Good Hope
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
3. Emergence of Modern Transportation Systems
(1870-1920)
■ Modern urban transportation
•
•
•
•
•
Increase in urban population.
Introduction of tramways (1880; horse drawn, and then electric).
Urban sprawl and the specialization of economic functions.
Underground metro systems in large cities (London, 1863).
Bicycle (1867); cheap mobility for the masses.
■ Modern telecommunications
•
•
•
•
•
Telegraph (1844).
Associated with the growth of railways and international shipping.
Business transactions became more efficient.
Creation of standard times zones (1884).
Every continent was linked by telegraphic lines (1895).
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Global Telegraph System, c1901 (the Victorian
Internet)
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
A – HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF
TRANSPORTATION II
1. Transportation in the Fordist Era (1920-1970)
2. A New Context for Transportation : the Post-Fordist Era
(1970-)
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
1. Transportation in the Fordist Era (1920-1970)
■ Internal combustion engine
• Diesel engine (1885).
• Extended flexibility of movements.
• Fast, inexpensive and ubiquitous transport modes (cars, buses
and truck).
■ Mass production system
• Applied by Ford for car manufacturing.
• Ford Model T: about 14 million Ford Model T were built (19131927).
• Increased demand for oil products and other raw materials (steel
and rubber).
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Assembly Line of the Ford Model T, 1913
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Ford T Coupelet, 1915
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
$1,000
2.25
$900
2.00
$800
1.75
$700
Millions
Cost and Production of Ford Vehicles, 1908-1924
1.50
$600
1.25
$500
1.00
$400
Cost
$300
Production
0.75
$200
0.50
$100
0.25
$0
0.00
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
1. Transportation in the Fordist Era (1920-1970)
■ Economies of scale
• Mass consumption of resources.
• Bulk commodities such as minerals and grain over long
distances.
• Oil Tankers.
■ Propelled flight
• Wright brothers (1903).
• Commercial air transport service between England and France
(1919).
• Expansion of regional / national air transport services (1920s1930s).
• Douglas DC-3 (1935).
• First commercial jet plane (Boeing 707; 1958).
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Comparison between a Contemporary and
Second World War Tanker
Modern VLCC (305 m)
1975
T2 Tanker (153 m)
1942
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
ULCC, Persian Gulf
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Wright Brothers First Airplane, 1903
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Douglas DC-3, 1937
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Boeing 707, 1958
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
1. Transportation in the Fordist Era (1920-1970)
■ Telecommunications
• Mass market media.
• Telephone (1878).
• Radio (1920):
• First radio shows: to sell radios.
• Television (1950).
■ Automobile
• Massive diffusion (1950s).
• Greater customization of vehicles.
• Suburbanization and expansion of cities.
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
2. A New Context for Transportation : the PostFordist Era (1970-)
■ Telecommunications
• Merging with information technologies.
• Information highway (Internet).
• Growth in processing power of computers:
• Moore’s law.
• Number of transistors per integrated circuit would double every 18 months.
• Satellite communications.
• Wireless networks.
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Moore’s Law: Transistors per Microprocessor,
1971-2008
1,000,000,000
100,000,000
10,000,000
1,000,000
100,000
10,000
1,000
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
US Household Penetration of
Telecommunications, 1920-2008
100
90
% of Households
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
Radio
TV
Cable
VHS
Satellite TV
1980
1990
DVD
2000
2010
Broadband
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
2. A New Context for Transportation : the PostFordist Era (1970-)
■ Globalization of trade
•
•
•
•
Fragmentation of the production.
International division of labor.
The principle of “just-in-time”.
Development of logistics.
■ Containerization
• Increased flexibility of freight transport.
• First containership, Ideal-X (1956).
• Cellular containerships (1967).
■ Massification of air transport
• Boeing 747 (1969).
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Cellular Containership, La Havre, France
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Boeing 747
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Some Costs of Long Distance Travel
Link
Cost in Dollars (Current 2005 Dollars)
Transatlantic steamship (1880s)
$35 to $100 ($1,000 to $3,000)
Transcontinental rail (1880s)
$100 to $200 ($3,000 to $6,000)
Transcontinental rail (1940s)
$70 to $100 ($250 to $350)
Transcontinental air (1940s)
$300 ($3,600)
Transcontinental air (1960s)
$150 ($1,200)
Transcontinental air (2000s)
$600
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
2. A New Context for Transportation : the PostFordist Era (1970-)
■ High-speed train networks
• Shinkansen, Japan (1964).
• TGV, France (1981).
■ Globalization of car manufacturing
• Three major players, US, Germany and Japan.
• New producers (Korea).
• 80% of oil consumption attributed to road transportation.
■ Growing transport constraints
• Innovations in transport modes.
• Reduction of energy consumption.
• Alternative sources of energy.
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Shinkansen, Japan
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Automobile Production, Selected Countries,19502008 (in millions)
55
50
China
Germany
45
40
Japan
United States
World
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
© Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue
0
