FREIGHT, GATEWAYS AND MEGA-URBAN REGIONS: THE LOGISTICAL INTEGRATION OF THE BOSTWASH CORRIDOR

The geography of freight transportation evolves at various scales, but it is increasingly acknowledged that freight flows occurring at the local level are a result of global and regional economic processes. Internationally, distribution networks have expanded, namely through the division of production, manufacturing and consumption. This has been accompanied by a growth of the quantity of freight being shipped as well as by a complication of supply and distribution chains. Most of the geography of freight at this scale is derived from strategic considerations where issues such as production and subcontracting planning and the choice of hubs and routes are considered for implementing global supply chains. Locally, many activities concerned with freight distribution have been modified with new transport terminals and distribution centres in response to growing consumption as well as from the imperatives of fragmented supply chains. From their traditional location around central areas with prevalent port and rail linkages, transport terminals and distribution centres have shifted to peripheral locations where road and airport linkages are more prevalent. The geography of freight at this scale is mainly derived from operational considerations aimed at servicing the requirements of local distribution with well-known strategies such as just-in-tim