Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
22 The evolution of spatial patterns over long time-
horizons: the relation with technology and
economic development
Jan Lambooy
1. Introduction
The relation between technology and economic development has been investigated
extensively. Their combined impact on spatial development, in particular on urbanisa-
tion, the location of i rms and the emergence of new regional economic patterns, still
needs to get more attention. With spatial patterns (or spatial structures) we do not only
mean the way in which physical objects are structured in space, but also how social and
economic activities and actors are situated, and how they behave and interact in proc-
esses like relocation, urbanisation and regional economic production. Space can also
be interpreted as Perroux (1950) did, i rst as a set of locations in the geographical or
physical space , and second as a set of network relations in the topological space , where
geographical relations are not important, only their relative locations are. In recent times
the concept of 'networks' is used to indicate relations of various kinds and with various
perspectives. It can be used for physical networks of infrastructure, for social relations
and as an organisational concept for the coordination of a set of units that are part of
a i rm or other kinds of organisation (Huber, 2007). Many relations are enabled by
physical structures, such as road infrastructure, and telecommunication, by the internet.
Spatial patterns rel ect technology and economic development in various ways, however,
often with a certain time lag. Spatial development evolves more gradually, over longer
and dif erent time-paths, than the other two elements of this 'triangle'. Technology has
an impact on economic development and the use of space, but there is a reverse impact
also. Economic growth and new technologies, by investments in capital goods, in R&D
and knowledge, lead to continuous changes of the spatial and economic structures. This
is often related with the dif erential ef ects of the rise of productivity (Maddison, 1991;
Pasinetti, 1981). In certain favourable urban regions, innovations, technology and eco-
nomic growth have better prospects than elsewhere (Jacobs, 1984; Krugman, 1995). As
Martin (1999, p. 76) contends: 'While spatial agglomeration is a key feature of the con-
temporary economic landscape, so is structural change. The question of uneven regional
development is not a static one, but is continually evolving, entails major qualitative
and quantitative change'. Urban development is also related with certain kinds of infra-
structure and technology, like airports, rail infrastructure and, more recently, with the
development of networks for the transmission of electricity and electronic data (Peschel,
1989). Urban development in the last centuries strongly rel ects the increased speed of the
changes in the technological and economic basis of our society.
Evolutionary economic geography (EEG) can contribute to the investigation of these
processes of co-evolution in at least four ways. First, it acknowledges space and time
as important factors in economic development. Second, it pays attention to continuous
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