Abstract
Transport accessibility is one of the most significant locational factors for both households and firms, and thus a potentially self-reinforcing driver of urban development. The spatial structure and dynamics of accessibility hence have the potential to alter the locational choices of households and firms significantly, leading to concentration and de-concentration processes. In spite of recent innovations in automotive technologies, public transport systems remain crucial for the functioning of metropolises. In this paper, we use the case of public transport in the Munich Metropolitan Region (MMR) in Germany to (1) discuss whether public transport in the past has contributed to regional urbanisation, the blurring of urban and suburban spaces; (2) model future accessibility changes due to the ongoing mega-infrastructure project “second trunk line” (“Zweite Stammstrecke”) for suburban trains and their likely effects on processes of regional development; (3) compare the balance of accessibility and functional density at stations in the MMR and (4) recommend a planning strategy based on an integrated urban and transport planning philosophy. We argue that particularly the monocentric design of the project means that it will intensify and extend the scope of suburbanisation and metropolisation, while planning should aim for a greater regionalisation of economic activity.
Highlights
It is often argued that spatial dynamics in developed countries during the last decades are characterised by new complexities
We have reviewed the debate on regional urbanisation, a new complexity and simultaneity of population and employment concentration and de-concentration and a blurring of urban and suburban spaces, in times of economic and demographic change
We have connected this debate with the effects of transport infrastructure extensions, using the “Second Trunk Line”
Summary
It is often argued that spatial dynamics in developed countries during the last decades are characterised by new complexities. “Regional urbanization” [1] or “Zwischenstadt” [2] are some of the labels given to these dynamics. This new parallelism of concentration and de-concentration can be attributed to a range of factors, among them changes in the economic system such as the rise of the knowledge economy [3], as well as demographic developments [4]. New transport technologies and infrastructure are other important drivers of changes in regional settlement structures. Transport infrastructure provides accessibility to jobs, services, leisure and retail facilities, while for firms it provides access to (potential) employees, customers and business partners, and constitutes an important locational factor. Transport networks can be structured in a monocentric or polycentric way, which influences the regional distribution of
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