Transport terminals: new perspectives

Abstract

The first impression most geographers may have about the study of transport terminals is that their relevance outside of the transportation field would be very limited. To the contrary, transport terminals are at the very center of critical issues in economic, political, urban, and other geographic subfields, and deserve much more attention. One cannot fully appreciate how globalization works without understanding how seaports, airports, rail terminals, and truck terminals operate as the linchpins of the global economy. Transport terminals represent some of the most critical parts of the physical infrastructure that makes possible the increased volume of passenger and freight movements around the world. As such, funding for new and expanded infrastructure is a central concern for local, regional, national, and supranational authorities. Since much of this infrastructure must be in or near major urban areas, issues involving the positive and negative externalities of port and terminal location can come to dominate public discourse at the local level.