GEOG 80 – Transport GeographyProfessor: Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue

Topic 1 – Transportation and Geography

A. What is Transport Geography?B. Transportation and SpaceC. Historical Evolution of Transportation ID. Historical Evolution of Transportation II

C – Historical Evolution 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)

1. Transportation in the Pre-Industrial Era (pre 1800s)

■ Limited transport technology• No mechanized forms of transportation.• Harnessing animal labor and wind.• Isolation and limited long distance trade.• Reliance on maritime and fluvial transportation for long distance

trade.• High value commodities (e.g. Silk Road).

■ Transportation and empire building• Roman Empire (road network, 80,000 kilometers, 200 AD).• Chinese Empire (canal system, 2,500 kilometers).

The Silk Road and the Arab Sea Routes

Guangzhou

Xi’an

Lanzhou

Dunhuang

Turpan

Hotan

KashgarSamarkand

Merv Bactra

Bukhara

ReyHamadan

Baghdad

Berenike

Alexandria

Tyre

Antioch

ConstantinopleAthens

Rome

Muza

Aden

Kané

Muscat

Sur

Mogadishu

Mombasa

Barbaricon

Barygaza

Muziris

Calcutta

CHINA

INDIA

PERSIA

ARABIA

EUROPE

EGYPT

JAVA

Indian Ocean

Arabian Sea

Sout

h C

hina

Sea

Mediterranean Ocean

Black Sea

Caspian Sea

Gobi Desert

Taklimakan Desert

Atlantic O

cean

Pac

ific

Oce

anRed Sea

SOMALIA

500 Miles

Malacca

Bay of Bengal

Roman Road Network, 200 AD

500 km

AtlanticOcean

Red Sea

Black SeaAdriatic Sea

Mediterranean Ocean

Grand Canal System

■ The Grand Canal• 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.

Hangzhou

Suzhou

Yangzhou

Chuzhou

Jizhou

KaifengLuoyang

Beijing

HuaiyinBian Canal(Song)

Tongji Canal (Sui)

Jizhou Canal(Yuan)

Yangzhou Canal(Song and Yuan)

Jiangnan Canal(Sui, Song and Yuan)

Yongji Canal(Sui and Yuan)

Tonghui Canal(Yuan)

Yongji Canal(Sui)

Jiao-Lai Canal(Yuan)

400 km

Old course ofthe Yellow River(Song)

Yellow Sea

East ChinaSea

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.

Caravel, 15th Century

Early European Maritime Expeditions

Treaty of Tordesillas Line (1494)

Cabot (1497)

Colombus (1492-93)

Gama (1497-99)

Magellan (1519-22)

Cape Verde370 leagues

Colonial Trade Pattern, North Atlantic, 18th Century

0 1,000 2,000 3,000500Miles

North Atlantic Ocean

North America

Africa

Europe

South America

West Indies

Dominant wind

Trade Route

Slaves, Gold, Pepper

Sugar, Molasses, FruitsTobacco, Furs, Indigo, Lumber1) Sugar, Molasses, Slaves

2) Flour, Meat, Lumber

Man

ufac

ture

s

1 2

2. The Industrial Revolution and Transportation (1800-1870)

■ Mechanization of transportation• Steam engine (as a water pump).• First steamship on the Delaware river (1790).• Would 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).

Clipper Ship “Flying Cloud”

An Early Steamship, “The Great Britain”, 1845

Liner Transatlantic Crossing Times, 1838 – 1952 (in days)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

1830 1855 1880 1905 1930 1955

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.

Turnpikes in Great Britain, Late 18th and Early 19th Century

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

1650 1700 1750 1800 1850

Km

Mail Coach, Great Britain, 18th Century

Bridgewater Canal, Manchester, 1767

Erie Canal, New York, 1829

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.

Completion of the Transcontinental Railway, 1869

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.

Rail Track Mileage and Number of Class I Rail Carriers, United States, 1840-2003

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

1840 1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000

Mile

s of

trac

ks

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

Rai

l Car

riers

Rail Track Mileage

Class I Rail Carriers

Geographical Impact of the Suez Canal, 1869

16,000 KM

10,000 KM

Geographical Impact of the Panama Canal, 1914

NORTH AMERICA

SOUTH AMERICA

21,000 KM

Panama Canal

8,000 KM

Pacific Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

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).

D – Historical Evolution of Transportation II

■ 1. Transportation in the Fordist Era (1920-1970)■ 2. A New Context for Transportation : the Post-Fordist Era

(1970-)■ 3. Future Transportation

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 (1913-

1927).• Increased demand for oil products and other raw materials (steel

and rubber).

Assembly Line of the Ford T Model, 1913

Ford T Coupelet, 1915

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 (1920s-

1930s).• Douglas DC-3 (1935).• First commercial jet plane (Boeing 707; 1958).

Comparison between a Contemporary and Second World War Tanker

19421975Modern VLCC (305 m)

T2 Tanker (153 m)

ULCC, Persian Gulf

Wright Brothers First Airplane, 1903

Douglas DC-3, 1937

Boeing 707, 1960

1. Transportation in the Fordist Era (1920-1970)

■ Telecommunications• Mass market media.• Telephone (1878).• Radio (1920).• Television (1950)

■ Automobile• Massive diffusion (1950s).• Suburbanization and expansion of cities.

2. A New Context for Transportation : the Post-Fordist 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.

Moore’s Law: Transistors per Microprocessor, 1971-2002

1,000

10,000

100,000

1,000,000

10,000,000

100,000,000

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Diffusion of Telecommunication Services, 1985-2002 (in millions)

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Cel

lula

r Pho

ne S

ubsc

riber

s

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Inte

rnet

Hos

t Com

pute

rs

Cellular Phone Subscribers

Internet Host Computers

2. A New Context for Transportation : the Post-Fordist 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).

Cellular Containership, La Havre, France

Boeing 747

2. A New Context for Transportation : the Post-Fordist 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.

■ Transport crisis• Innovations in transport modes.• Reduction of energy consumption.• Alternative sources of energy.

Shinkansen, Japan

Automobile Production, United States, Japan and Germany, 1950-2004 (in millions)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Germany

Japan

United States

World

3. Future Transportation

■ Cyclic character of transport innovations• Innovations lead to a wave of development.• Introduction:

• Private entrepreneurs and innovators.• Growth:

• Fast adoption.• Often involves a “paradigm shift” event.

• Maturity:• Maximal spatial coverage.• Government involvement (investment, regulations, etc.)

• Rationalization/obsolescence:• Diminishing returns (Segment or system-wide).• A mix of regulations (protect public interests) and deregulations (increase

productivity).• Our current freight transport systems are in a phase of rationalization.

Growth of the US Transport System, 19th – 21st Century

Canals

RailRoads

Air

Maglev

1836

1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 20500%

1%

2%

3%

4%

1891 1946 2001

Δt= 30 years

Δt= 55 years Δt= 65 years Δt= 70 years

1825

18691913 1969

1836

1825 Paradigm shift

Peak year

1800

1900

1950

2000

Maritime Road Rail Air

Docks

LocksRailsOmnibus

Steam engine

Electric motorBalloons

DirigiblesIronhulls

Internal combustion engineMetro

TramwayAutomobileLiners

Bicycles

PlanesTrucks

Buses

Electriccar

Hydrogencar

Airfoils

Supertankers

TGV

Maglev

Jet engine

Jet Plane

Containerships

Helicopters

Bulk ships

Highways

Jumbo Jet

Evolution of the Transport Technology, 1750-2000

Development of Operational Speed for Major Transport Modes, 1750-2000 (km per hour)

100

500

1000

1800 1900 20001850 1950

50

250

750

Stage CoachRail

Automobile

TGVPropeller Plane

Jet Plane

LinerClipper Ship Containership

Road

Maritime

Rail

Air

3. Future Transportation

■ Promising technologies• Maglev:

• Magnetic levitation (no friction with its support and no moving parts)• Operational speeds of 500 km per hour.

• Automated transport systems:• Complete or partial automation of the vehicle, transshipment and control.• Improvement of existing modes (Automated highway systems).• Creation of new modes and new transshipment systems (Public transit

and freight transportation).• Fuel cells:

• Electric generator using the catalytic conversion of hydrogen and oxygen.• Applicable only to light vehicles, notably cars, or to small power systems.• Low environmental impact alternative to generate energy.• Fuel cell cars are expected to reach mass production by 2010.

Maglev Train, Shanghai 2003

ULTra (Urban Light Transport) System, Cardiff, UK