Supplying Cities from Abroad: The Geography of Inter-Urban Freight Flows

This article aims to identify the role of urban areas in freight systems. To achieve this goal, the article examines the nature and intensity of inter-urban freight flows in France. It draws on the results of a French survey that describes shipments sent by firms. It paints a simplified picture of the geography of freight flows with regard to the light they shed on economic interactions between urban centers. It shows that the pattern of inter-urban freight flows in France is hierarchical: large urban areas are supplied by smaller ones