Overview
Point of departure: The need for transport logistics at one location can be influenced by demand or supply. On the one hand demand for transportation is produced in a region by the settlement of (end-) customers as recipients of goods (demand driven). On the other hand, demand is generated by the offer in the form of efficient transport connections and thus the probability of its utilisation increases (supply driven).
Problem statement: In this exploration, supply driven transport logistics with respect to high-performance infrastructures (e.g. very fast and very high throughput connections) as extension to the existing transport network is to be investigated in depth. Although technological developments are already taking place and the already mentioned concepts emerge as promising alternatives (e.g. high-speed transport and efficient maritime links), its effect on network quality and thus on the flows of goods and persons and the affected regions (fusion of agglomerations) is currently not a major concern at the European level.
Research question: Starting from the assumption that the provision of transport infrastructure results in a demand generation, it is to be examined
- which possibilities for the design (technical and organisational) of high-performance transport infrastructure are there in Europe (and thus Austria),
- which is the potential impact of the use of new technologies and (high performance) infrastructures on the spatial, social, economic and environmental situation (in the regions concerned), and
- how do agglomeration structures change?
Methodological approach: The focus is on the likelihood of realisation and based on the appropriate network design. It is to be examined which connections should be created in order to design an efficient network. Based on the estimated impacts of (high-performance) infrastructures on the spatial, social, economic and environmental structures of a region, a demand forecast is unavoidable. Building on that, an estimation on the following (research) steps can be given which are necessary to ensure the most efficient (e.g. regarding cost and environmental impact) implementation.