ABSTRACT

Transportation is the lifeline of the economic system. It represents the essential means by which activities are linked and thus made possible. Without access, most economic activity could not take place. Transportation is thus essential, not for its own sake, but because it provides access. Since it thus serves other activities, its character is determined exogenously. Of crucial importance is the pattern of land uses – the major determinant of transport needs. The more activities are dispersed, the greater is the amount of transportation required to access them. Nevertheless, transport does not simply follow activities: its potentialities facilitate and limit the development and spread of activities. In one sense, it can be said that the history of both economic and urban development is a reflection of the history of the development of transportation.