Urban hierarchy, diversity, regional specialization and spatial statistical analysis of freight flows

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K03684
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Economic policy
• Research Institution: Kwansei Gakuin University
• Principal Investigator: ITOH Hidekazu 関西学院大学, 商学部, 教授 (30368451)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 交通経済学 / 都市経済学 / 経済地理学 / 貨物流動 / 空間統計 / 国際比較

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research explores the importance of urban size for freight transport, as well as the urban hierarchy to organize inter-urban/regional freight flows in Japan. We test the differential unit freight rates based on urban size and regional trade, and understand the impacts of the regional economic profile on freight rates. The followings are findings. (1) The longer the distance, the lower the unit freight rate, owing to distance economy. (2) Freight transport to denser (upward) regions is cheaper than to peripheral (downward) regions, owing to scale economy. When the destination is a larger region, obtaining return freight is easier because of higher transport demand. (3) Regarding intra-regional freight flows, the higher the population density, the higher the unit freight rates because of much shorter distance delivery and higher value-added cargo trades within regions. (4) Lastly, economic scale is more important for the origin than for the destination because of CIF pricing.

Free Research Field

交通経済学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、国内貨物輸送を対象に、都市規模あるいは都市階層の違いが貨物流動、特に輸送距離や輸送費用に与える影響を明らかにした。例えば、都市規模に比例して（域内）単位輸送コストは増大し、また地方部への（域間）単位輸送コストは都市部へのそれに比べて高くなるなど、本研究の実証分析結果は、物流・ロジスティクス活動に係るインフラ整備等を行う実務者や政策担当者にとって有益な情報を与える。