Today it is often stated that new transport infrastructure increases both the number of journeys and their length as well as the attractiveness of different locations for development. To understand this phenomenon, the following questions must be addressed: What part does new transort infrastructure play in changing patterns of development? How should transport infrastructure be funded? What should be the role of the private sector in financing and maintaining transport schemes? How should resources be allocated between different modes? What are the effects of increased accessibility on the competitiveness of an area or a firm. Drawing on international experience and case material, David Banister and his fellow contributors to Transport and Urban Development explore these and related questions, and the methodological problems involved. The book is divided into two parts. The first deals with the theoretical and empirical issues from economic and spatial viewpoints, while the second comprises a series of transport and development case studies concentrating in turn on rail, air, water and road transport. Each major chapter is supplemented by a shorter commentary designed to develop and interpret the theories and evidence presented.
