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Exploring the geography of China's airport networks: a hybrid complex-network approach

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  • Dong, Zhengbin
  • Wu, Wenjie

Abstract

Air networks are normal examples of transportation systems among ubiquitous big data networks in the dynamic nature. This is particularly the case in developing countries with rapid airport network expansions. This paper explores the structure and evolution of the trunk airport network of China (ANC) in major years during 1980s-2000s. We generalise the complex network approach developed in existing studies and further test for statistical properties of weighted network characteristics by using pair-wise traffic flows. The spatiotemporal decomposition of network metric plots and the visualization maps leads to a rich harvest of stylized ANC structures: (i) national hub-and-spoke patterns surrounding mega-cities; (ii) regional broker patterns surrounding Kunming and Urumqi, and (iii) local heterogeneous disparity patterns in isolated geographical cities, such as Lhasa, Lijiang, Huangshan, etc. These findings have important implications towards understanding the geo-political and economic forces at stake in shaping China's urban systems.

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  • Dong, Zhengbin & Wu, Wenjie, 2015. "Exploring the geography of China's airport networks: a hybrid complex-network approach," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 64508, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:64508
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    Cited by:

    1. Yang, Haoran & Du, Delin & Wang, Jiaoe & Wang, Xiaomeng & Zhang, Fan, 2023. "Reshaping China's urban networks and their determinants: High-speed rail vs. air networks," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 83-92.
    2. Zhang, Yahua & Zhang, Anming & Zhu, Zhenran & Wang, Kun, 2017. "Connectivity at Chinese airports: The evolution and drivers," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 490-508.
    3. Zhu, Zhenran & Zhang, Anming & Zhang, Yahua & Huang, Zhibin & Xu, Shiteng, 2019. "Measuring air connectivity between China and Australia," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 359-370.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    airport system; complex network; regional development; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • P25 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)

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