Book Description

This very interesting book with peer-reviewed chapters written by leading researchers in the field discusses recent research in the areas of market structure, sustainability and decision-making. It includes several contemporary topics, such as changes in port competition, adaptation of transport to climate change, changing market structures, the importance of changing consumers preferences, errors in forecasting, and trends in international goods transport. Bert van Wee, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands Transport is debated by many, and liberalization processes, transport policy, transport and climate change and increased competition between transport modes are the subject of heated discussion. Smart Transport Networks illustrates that whether concerning road, water, rail or air, knowledge on the structure of transport markets is crucial in order to tackle transport issues. The book therefore explores key factors concerning the structure of transport markets, their environmental impact, and questions why decision makers often fail to tackle transport-related problems. Three of the key factors that underpin the relationship between transport and society are analysed in detail from a variety of perspectives, each with an empirical focus: market structure and the allocation mechanisms at work; sustainability, encompassing the characteristics of the physical environment, the availability of natural resources and the effects of transport activities; and decision making, detailing transport policy and attempts to change transport systems. Practical guidelines on how to effectively deal with complex transport issues are also presented. This book will prove an important resource read for academics, researchers, and students with an interest in economics particularly transport and public sector economics, geography and regional and urban studies. Policy makers and planners in the fields of transport, environment and regional planning will also find this book to be an invaluable reference tool.