High-Speed Railroad and Economic Geography: Evidence from Japan
Li, Zhigang; Xu, Hangtian | May 2016
Abstract
This study addresses the debate on whether high-speed railroad (HSR) polarizes or balances economic geography. We find that both can occur: while the service sector tends to agglomerate, the manufacturing sector may decentralize; moreover, economic activities may agglomerate from distant areas to the core, while dispersing from the core toward its periphery at the same time. The service sector is crucial in this process because, unlike other land transport infrastructure, HSR mainly saves transport time for people, but not cargo. Incorporating this feature to the model of Ottaviano et al. (2002), we show that HSR can lead to either polarization or diffusion depending on sector and distance between cities. This is supported by empirical evidence from the 1982 opening of two major HSRs in Japan (Shinkansen), which saved intercity travel time by as much as half. We find that in non core areas service employment decreased by 7%, while manufacturing employment increased by 21%; cities within approximately 100 kilometers of Tokyo expanded, while more distant cities shrank. In net, Tokyo metropolitan area agglomerates as a result of HSR.
Citation
Li, Zhigang; Xu, Hangtian. 2016. High-Speed Railroad and Economic Geography: Evidence from Japan. © Asian Development Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/11540/8817.ISSN
2313-6537 (Print)
2313-6545 (e-ISSN)
Keywords
Bus Transportation Costs
Demand For Transport
Means Of Transport
National Transport
Passenger Transport
Road & Highway Transport
Road Transportation Systems
Sea Transport
Transport Costs
Transport Efficiency
Transport Infrastructure
Transport Planning
Transport Policy
Transport Services
Transport Systems
Transport Tax
Transportation
Urbanization
Urban Services
Urban Projects
Urban Problems
Urban Poverty
Urban Policy
Urban Planning
Urban Infrastructure
Urban Health
Urban Government
Urban Economic Development
Urban Development Finance
Urban Development
Urban Conditions
Urban Communities
Urban Population
Modes of transport
Airports
Ports
Shipping
Taxis
Vehicle
Automobile industry
Road traffic
Inland transport
International transport
Public transport
Urban transport
Transport projects
Transport workers
Transport statistics
Transport networks
Urban traffic
Urban Plans
Urbanism
Urban agriculture
Economic Development
Rural Urban Migration
Cities
Communication and traffic
Navigation
Transport planes
Air transportation industry
Air transportation system
Intra-airport transportation
Inland water transportation
Intercoastal shipping
Marine transportation
Local transit
Highway transportation
Motor transportation
Student transportation
Choice of transportation
Public transportation
Transportation industry
Mass transit
Municipal transit
Local government
Urban renewal
Urban housing
Urban sociology
Transit systems
Rapid transit
Public transit
Mass transit
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