César Ducruet

Inter-similarity between coupled networks

Recent studies have shown that a system composed of several randomly interdependent networks is extremely vulnerable to random failure. However, real interdependent networks are usually not randomly interdependent, rather pairs of dependent nodes are coupled according to some regularity which we coin inter-similarity. For example, we study a system composed of an interdependent world wide port network and a world wide airport network and show that well-connected ports tend to couple with well-connected airports. We introduce two quantities for measuring the level of inter-similarity between networks: i) the inter degree-degree correlation (IDDC); ii) the inter-clustering coefficient (ICC). We then show both by simulation models and by analyzing the port-airport system that as the networks become more inter-similar the system becomes significantly more robust to random failure.

Spatial glocalization in Asia-Pacific hub port cities: A comparison of Hong Kong and Singapore

Port competition at both the regional and global scales results in port concentration and deconcentration, respectively. Whereas a number of recent studies interpret such phenomena as the effects of global forces such as containerization, few researchers have investigated local forces, such as the evolving relationships between urban policy and port growth. This study compares how two global hub port cities in the Asia-Pacific region, Hong Kong and Singapore, have sustained their port functions while transforming into major economic centers. Entropy indexes are calculated by district based on service industries related to port activities between 1993 and 2004. The results show the influences of port competition, lack of space, and congestion on changes in port-related activities. We conclude that cross-border integration is a main differentiating factor in the evolution of these hub port cities.

The changing tides of port geography (1950–2012)

Human geographers actively studied ports in past decades. However, the extent to which port geography constituted a specific research stream within human geography remained largely unanswered. By reviewing 399 port papers published in major geography journals, the authors critically investigated the trends and changing tides of port geography research. The findings point out the emergence of the core community shifting from mainstream geography research to increasing connection with other disciplines, notably transport studies. The paper offers a progressive view on human geographers’ abilities to form a research community on port development, while identifying opportunities in the pursuit of collaboration between different academic disciplines.

Revisiting inter-port relationships under the new economic geography research framework

Chapter one by Cesar Ducruet, Theo Notteboom and Peter de Langen, the New Economic Geography (NEG) is seen as a possible bridge for a better integration between economic geography literature and port studies. The authors demonstrate that NEG has distanced itself from traditional economic geography in the early 1990s by applying a modelling approach to the explanation of changing spatial structures, and by attempting to put economic geography in the economic mainstream. By bringing together international trade theories, micro-economic theories, and spatial analysis, it proposes a renewed framework explaining the uneven distribution of activities across geographical space, understood in terms of agglomeration, dispersion, and regional integration. This chapter confronts NEG with two important sets of port research: the changing concentration of traffic within a port system, and the uneven agglomeration of economic activities around port areas

The polarization of global container flows by interoceanic canals: geographic coverage and network vulnerability

It is widely acknowledged that the two major interoceanic canals of Suez and Panama play a central role in global shipping flows. However, this role has rarely been measured with precision both in terms of the geographic coverage and network topological properties of canal-dependent flows. Based on vessel movement data for containerships, this research clarifies the weight and share of canal-dependent flows globally and at the level of world regions, routes, and ports. It also estimates and maps the effects of removing canal-dependent flows from the network by means of graph-theoretical methods. While main results converge in showing a decreasing importance of canal shipping in the context of growing south-south trade exchanges, certain areas remain more dependent than others, such as Asia, Europe, and North America. The research also underlines factors of port vulnerability across the globe in relation with the two canals.

Across the waves: a bibliometric analysis of container shipping research since the 1960s

ABSTRACT The paper investigates collaborative and semantic patterns that emerged between 1967 and 2013 about the theme of container shipping based on a corpus of 294 articles published in scholarly journals within the fields of transportation, supply chain, economics, geography, regional planning and development, and operations research. An analysis based on the co-occurrence of title words allows identifying dominant sub-themes and their evolution. Main results point to the gradual diversification of container shipping research, from the dominance of economics towards a more trans-disciplinary set of approaches which integrate port-related activities and multimodal networks. Yet, disciplinary specialization remains strong up to nowadays so that container shipping research remains rather fragmented. While co-authorships have increased over time, they remain polarized by few, weakly connected research battalions. Our study suggests that research on container shipping would benefit from more frequent contacts between such communities to foster in-depth cross-disciplinary studies and fundamental cooperation.

Port Integration in China: Temporal Pathways, Spatial Patterns and Dynamics

Over the past two decades, numerous ports located in China have participated in port integration strategies, thus influencing the entire port system. The current research is initiated in order to examine the nature of port integration in China, including associated temporal pathways, spatial patterns and dynamics. Results indicate that port integration in China has been characterized by a significant increase at the turn of the 21st century, comprising thirteen distinguishable pathways typified by differing dynamics, particularly between the northern and southern ports. Pathways were found to include 44 seaports and river ports, chiefly concentrated in the Bohai Rim, Yangtze (Changjiang) River Delta, Beibu Gulf and the southeastern Fujian, thus representing significant spatial regions. Categorically larger seaports have become the primary beneficiaries of port integration. Integration cases were divided into four categories based upon quantified dynamic magnitude including the government-driven mode, market-driven mode, government/market-driven mode and strategic alliance, and into five further categories based upon spatial extent including port internal integration, jurisdictional port integration, port integration across neighbor region, regional port integration and hub-feeder port integration. Results suggest that several factors have effectively driven port integration in China, including legislative tools and spatial planning, optimization of shoreline resources and port functionality, and port competition with the same hinterland.

Measuring Intermodalism at European Port Cities: An Employment-based Study

Since many studies on intermodalism face a lack of empirical evidence and comparative research, this paper focuses on the modal distribution of employment among 76 European port cities. Data is collected from 9,000 companies and more than one million employees involved in port, sea, air, road, rail, warehousing, forwarding, and logistics, together with population, port, and air traffics. Results of the factor analysis show inter-modal linkages and allow differentiating the port cities. It appears that the recurrent opposition between freight and passenger-oriented specialisations is largely influenced by a European core-periphery spatial pattern.

Evolution, accessibility and dynamics of road networks in China from 1600 BC to 1900 AD

Before the emergence of modern modes of transport, the traditional road infrastructure was the major historical means of carrying out nationwide socio-economic exchange. However, the history of transport infrastructure has received little attention from researchers. Given this background, the work reported here examined the long-term development of transport networks in China. The national road network was selected for study and the 3500 years from 1600 BC to 1900 AD was chosen as the study period. Indicators were designed for the maturity level of road networks and an accessibility model was developed for the paths of the shortest distance. The evolution of the road network in China since the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC) was described and its major features were summarized to reveal long-term regularities. The maturity level of the road network and its accessibility was assessed and regions with good and poor networks were identified. The relationship between China’s natural, social, and economic systems and the road network were discussed. Our analysis shows that the road network in China has a number of long-term regularities. The continuously expanding road network follows a path of inland expansion especially towards the border areas. However, its coverage and accessibility are characterized by a core-peripheral configuration, which has close relationships with, not only the natural conditions, but also national defense and warfare. The centralization of national power, national land governance, postal transport, the transport of specialized cargos, and international trade are also related to the development of the road network. This research draws attention to the evolving regularities of transport networks.

China’s Global Shipping Connectivity: Internal and External Dynamics in the Contemporary Era (1890–2016)

China’s global shipping connectivity had been somewhat overlooked as the bulk of related studies predominantly focused on the throughput volume of its own port cities. This article tackles such lacunae by providing a relational perspective based on the extraction of vessel movement archives from the Lloyd’s List corpus. Two complementary analyses are proposed: long-term dynamics with all ships included (1890–2008) and medium-term dynamics focusing on container flows (1978–2016). Each analysis examines China’s maritime connectivity in various ways and on different spatial scales, from the global to the local, in terms of concentration, vulnerability, and expansion. The main results underline the influence of technological, economic, and political factors on the changing distribution of connectivity internally and externally. In particular, China has managed to reduce its dependence upon external transit hubs, to increase the internal connectivity of its own port system, and to strengthen its dominance towards an increasing number of foreign nodes and trade partners through the maritime network.