IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jotrge/v16y2008i5p305-312.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Mapping world city networks through airline flows: context, relevance, and problems

Author

Listed:
  • Derudder, Ben
  • Witlox, Frank

Abstract

This paper contextualises and reviews the burgeoning research in which data on air passenger flows are used to analyse a network of world cities. Rather than taking the relevance of such airline statistics on trust, we consider their advantages and drawbacks in the context of the different approaches devised in the empirical research at large. To assess the potential of data on air passenger flows in this context, we construct a taxonomy of approaches that distinguishes between information on global corporate organization and large-scale infrastructure networks. While this evaluation suggests that information on air passenger flows may indeed be a prime data source in this context, it is equally clear that the relevance of such research is potentially undermined by inadequate statistics. It is argued that future research should explore and/or construct alternative airline datasets that allow for more meaningful analyses.

Suggested Citation

  • Derudder, Ben & Witlox, Frank, 2008. "Mapping world city networks through airline flows: context, relevance, and problems," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 305-312.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:16:y:2008:i:5:p:305-312
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2007.12.005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966692307001317
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2007.12.005?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Matsumoto, Hidenobu, 2007. "International air network structures and air traffic density of world cities," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(3), pages 269-282, May.
    2. Nadine Cattan, 1995. "Attractivity and Internationalisation of Major European Cities: The Example of Air Traffic," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 32(2), pages 303-312, March.
    3. Frank Bruinsma & Piet Rietveld, 1993. "Urban Agglomerations in European Infrastructure Networks," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 30(6), pages 919-934, June.
    4. Kyoung-Ho Shin & Michael Timberlake, 2000. "World Cities in Asia: Cliques, Centrality and Connectedness," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 37(12), pages 2257-2285, November.
    5. P.J. Taylor & G. Catalano & D.R.F. Walker, 2002. "Measurement of the World City Network," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 39(13), pages 2367-2376, December.
    6. Michael Samers, 2002. "Immigration and the Global City Hypothesis: Towards an Alternative Research Agenda," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(2), pages 389-3402, June.
    7. P.J. Taylor & G. Catalano & D.R.F. Walker, 2002. "Exploratory Analysis of the World City Network," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 39(13), pages 2377-2394, December.
    8. Claus Lassen, 2006. "Aeromobility and Work," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 38(2), pages 301-312, February.
    9. Matsumoto, Hidenobu, 2004. "International urban systems and air passenger and cargo flows: some calculations," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 10(4), pages 239-247.
    10. Peter J. Taylor & Ben Derudder, 2004. "Porous Europe: European Cities In Global Urban Arenas," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 95(5), pages 527-538, December.
    11. Ben Derudder, 2006. "On Conceptual Confusion in Empirical Analyses of a Transnational Urban Network," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 43(11), pages 2027-2046, October.
    12. John Bowen, 2002. "Network Change, Deregulation, and Access in the Global Airline Industry," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 78(4), pages 425-439, October.
    13. Anthony M Townsend, 2001. "The Internet and the Rise of the New Network Cities, 1969–1999," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 28(1), pages 39-58, February.
    14. John Friedmann, 1986. "The World City Hypothesis," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 17(1), pages 69-83, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nathalie Van Nuffel & Ben Derudder & Frank Witlox, 2010. "Even Important Connections Are Not Always Meaningful: On The Use Of A Polarisation Measure In A Typology Of European Cities In Air Transport Networks," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 101(3), pages 333-348, July.
    2. B. Derudder & F. Witlox, 2005. "An Appraisal of the Use of Airline Data in Assessing the World City Network: A Research Note on Data," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 42(13), pages 2371-2388, December.
    3. Matsumoto, Hidenobu & Domae, Koji, 2018. "The effects of new international airports and air-freight integrator's hubs on the mobility of cities in urban hierarchies: A case study in East and Southeast Asia," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 160-166.
    4. Derudder, B. & Witlox, F., 2005. "On the use of inadequate airline data in mappings of a global urban system," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 231-237.
    5. Bowen, John T., 2016. "“Now everyone can fly†? Scheduled airline services to secondary cities in Southeast Asia," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 94-104.
    6. Aurélie LALANNE & Guillaume POUYANNE, 2012. "Ten years of metropolization in economics: a bibliometric approach (In French)," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2012-11, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    7. Xingjian Liu & Ben Derudder & Frank Witlox & Michael Hoyler, 2014. "Cities As Networks within Networks of Cities: The Evolution of the City/Firm-Duality in the World City Network, 2000–2010," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 105(4), pages 465-482, September.
    8. Matsumoto, Hidenobu & Domae, Koji, 2019. "Assessment of competitive hub status of cities in Europe and Asia from an international air traffic perspective," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 88-95.
    9. Zachary Neal, 2014. "Validity in World City Network Measurements," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 105(4), pages 427-443, September.
    10. Fenghua Pan & Ziyun He & Cheng Fang & Bofei Yang & Jinshe Liang, 2018. "World City Networks Shaped by the Global Financing of Chinese Firms: A Study Based on Initial Public Offerings of Chinese Firms on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, 1999-2017," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 751-772, September.
    11. Alexander, D.W. & Merkert, R., 2021. "Applications of gravity models to evaluate and forecast US international air freight markets post-GFC," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 52-62.
    12. Gong, Qiang & Wang, Kun & Fan, Xingli & Fu, Xiaowen & Xiao, Yi-bin, 2018. "International trade drivers and freight network analysis - The case of the Chinese air cargo sector," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 253-262.
    13. O'Connor, Kevin & Fuellhart, Kurt, 2013. "Change in air services at second rank cities," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 26-30.
    14. Sismanidou, Athina & Tarradellas, Joan & Bel, Germà & Fageda, Xavier, 2013. "Estimating potential long-haul air passenger traffic in national networks containing two or more dominant cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 108-116.
    15. Christof Parnreiter, 2014. "Network or Hierarchical Relations? A Plea for Redirecting Attention to the Control Functions of Global Cities," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 105(4), pages 398-411, September.
    16. Karima Kourtit & Peter Nijkamp & Mark D. Partridge & Karima Kourtit & Peter Nijkamp, 2013. "In praise of megacities in a global world," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 5(2), pages 167-182, June.
    17. Ben Derudder, 2021. "Network Analysis of ‘Urban Systems’: Potential, Challenges, and Pitfalls," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 112(4), pages 404-420, September.
    18. Zachary Neal, 2010. "Refining the Air Traffic Approach to City Networks," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 47(10), pages 2195-2215, September.
    19. Marike Bontenbal, 2010. "City Networking With The ‘Global South’: Dutch Policy And Practice," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 101(4), pages 462-472, September.
    20. Neumann, Uwe & Schaffner, Sandra & Eilers, Lea, 2019. "Bedeutung finanzieller Grundkompetenzen aus regionaler Perspektive. Gefördert durch die Dr. Josef und Brigitte Pauli-Stiftung," RWI Projektberichte, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, number 222358.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:16:y:2008:i:5:p:305-312. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-transport-geography .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.