Abstract.
This paper explores the influence of Walter Isard, his work, and the field of regional science generally on transportation geography. It argues that Isard’s impact was both subtle and significant. Regional science greatly influenced the emergence of modern transportation geography in the 1950s. Transportation themes and methods from Isard’s own work provided early building blocks for transportation geography. Moreover, Isard and regional science contributed importantly to the development of the intellectual network of persons, places, and institutions that early on defined the subfield. Regional science and transportation geography have diverged in recent decades, but opportunities exist for renewed interaction.
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The author thanks Doug Fleming and Dick Morrill for comments on an earlier version of this paper.
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Chang, S. Transportation geography: The influence of Walter Isard and regional science. J Geograph Syst 6, 55–69 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10109-003-0122-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10109-003-0122-z