Gateways, Corridors and Strategic City Pairs

Advances in transportation technology may mean that topography matters less, but trade routes will continue to favour the paths of least resistance. The location of gateway cities and distribution hubs exhibit patterns of hierarchical systems. A change in technology that alters location advantage heightens corridor competition and in the longer term, it may modify the relative positions of cities in the regional hierarchy. Changes in transportation technology during the 1850s and the 1950s that altered the barriers of time and space reordered trade corridors in these periods. As the 21st Century opens, the growing Asian economies are stimulating Pacific trade routes, and intermodal container shipping is causing a resurgence of railway opportunities for trade routes that are prepared to foster their development. This paper examines the concept of gateways and corridors, and the importance that strategic city pairs play in taking advantage of transportation opportunities. Its purpose is to encourage discussion on the topic of trade corridor competition. The first section presents a conceptual framework for examining trade corridors. Subsequently, two examples of strategic city pairs and corridor competition are considered. The paper concludes with some thoughts on the role of strategic city pairs in the promotion of the Mid-continent corridor.