Canal linking and regional developing: a study on industrial relocation and river port location in the context of opening of Pinglu Canal

To clarify the role of canals in enhancing the connectivity of water transportation network, improving the locational advantages of adjacent areas, and inducing regional industrial transfer, and by taking the Pinglu Canal in Guangxi (China) as an example, this paper establishes a multimodal transportation network for Guangxi and the Pearl River Delta (PRD). The eases of export transportation under the cases with/without the canal are analysed to assess canals' impacts on network connectivity. The industrial location attractiveness is then calculated based on the ease of export transportation, labour cost, and land price. The paper further predicts the industrial scales at traffic analysis zones (TAZs) to determine canal's influences on industrial transfer. The river port location model is built to optimise the building sites of new river ports, considering the dynamics in export freight demand. The results indicate that the Canal will significantly enhance the locational advantages at the areas along the Xijiang inland waterway, accelerate the relocation of labour-intensive industries from the PRD, and a new river port on Canal's eastern side is helpful for maximising Canal's efficacy. [Submitted: 24 September 2024; Accepted: 30 January 2025]