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Transport, economic competitiveness and competition: A city perspective

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  • Mullen, Caroline
  • Marsden, Greg

Abstract

Stimulating the economy is a dominant policy objective, but on what basis are decisions being taken around transport and growth? We describe how transport studies and political geography offer two related, but poorly connected, theoretical approaches purporting to explain the relationship between transport and the economy. Yet in what ways does it matter that two different world views exist? We test these questions through an empirical case study of how city and regional officials use transport in attempting to realise economic objectives. Echoing theoretical approaches based in political geography, we find officials' own reasoning places emphasis on supply side improvements, especially connectivity within regions and on a high quality urban environment hoped to attract high GVA jobs. The decision-support tools are not well aligned to this reasoning, focussing on time savings and the justification of the value for money of proposed schemes relative to other investments in the region and nationally. In contrast to much theoretical work on competitiveness, employment growth is treated as exogenous with less emphasis given to which areas win and lose in the region. It is competition between weaker regional towns and cities that is prominent in officials' discourse. Such a gap between the thinking by officials, and the types of available transport investment decision-support tools, is of international significance. Given the centrality of the economy to where and what we invest in, the paper suggests a need for better knowledge about the efficacy of urban realm and other supply side improvements on job creation and on the influence of local autonomy in decision-making on investment selection and outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Mullen, Caroline & Marsden, Greg, 2015. "Transport, economic competitiveness and competition: A city perspective," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 1-8.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:49:y:2015:i:c:p:1-8
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2015.09.009
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    4. Munday, Max & Reynolds, Laura & Roberts, Annette, 2023. "Re-appraising ‘in-process’ benefits of strategic infrastructure improvements: Capturing the unexpected socio-economic impacts for lagging regions," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 119-127.
    5. Cezar TECLEAN, 2022. "The impact of the quality of transport networks on economic competitiveness in the European Union," CES Working Papers, Centre for European Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, vol. 14(2), pages 114-132, November.
    6. Locatelli, Giorgio & Invernizzi, Diletta Colette & Brookes, Naomi J., 2017. "Project characteristics and performance in Europe: An empirical analysis for large transport infrastructure projects," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 108-122.
    7. Iain Docherty & Jon Shaw & Greg Marsden & Jillian Anable, 2018. "The curious death – and life? – of British transport policy," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 36(8), pages 1458-1479, December.
    8. Hrelja, Robert, 2019. "Cars. Problematisations, measures and blind spots in local transport and land use policy," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
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