Intermodal Transportation and Integrated Transport Systems: Spaces, Networks and Flows

What is behind the process of globalization? This is certainly a dimension that has been discussed in length and from many different perspectives. Among the most common factors identified are those related to the exploitation of comparative advantages, mainly in terms of labor, information and telecommunication technologies, foreign direct investments and technology transfers. All these have helped create a clustered and spatially diffused global economy, particularly in terms of production and consumption. A very powerful and widely acknowledged trend in recent years has been the rapid industrialization of Pacific Asia, particularly China, and the enduring growth in the consumption of foreign goods in North America and Europe. Global trade is thus steadily growing so does the distance of trade relations. Parallel to this growth, the need to reconcile spatially diverse demands for raw materials, parts and finished goods has placed additional pressures on the function of freight distribution and logistics.