Port-city evolution in the long run (1880-2020): global and regional trends

César Ducruet () and Barbara Polo Martin
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César Ducruet: EconomiX - EconomiX - UPN - Université Paris Nanterre - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Barbara Polo Martin: UAM - Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

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Abstract: Based on untapped data on vessel movements and urban population, this paper investigates the changing relationship between ports and cities since the late 19th century. We refer to a number of models in maritime geography and history that converge about port-city spatial and functional disconnection. The principal results show that the average distance between ports and cities doubled over the period, from 4.9 km in 1880 to 10.1 km in 2020. While the correlation between vessel traffic and city size grew since 1880, it declined rapidly from 0.66 in 1946 to 0.33 in 2020. In turn, vessel traffic became more and more correlated with the size of city-regions, of which port and non-port. Such trends are differentiated across regions of the world, due to historical legacies and specific patterns of port hinterlands.

Keywords: globalization; hinterlands; port city; maritime transport; regionalization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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