The main objective of this research is to analyze the connectivity of cities in a coupled network made of planar (railways) and non-planar (maritime) topologies. It takes the state of the network during the period 1880-1925, namely the context of the First Globalization wave (1880-1914), when trade and urban development were closely tied to progress in communications systems and especially steam propulsion. Edges represent intercity physical infrastructure on land, and inter-port ship voyages at sea. We test several hypotheses in terms of inter-network specialization and port-city relationships. Main results underline a crucial influence of railway proximity on vessel traffic volume and steam specialization. They also confirm theoretical and empirical facts by which larger cities are more diversified than smaller cities in terms of connectivity.

Barbara Polo Martin; César Ducruet; Bruno Marnot
French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) & UMR 7235 EconomiX; University of La Rochelle & UMR 7266 LIttoral ENvironnement et Sociétés (LIENSs)

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ID Abstract: 752