Port Functions, Innovation and the Making of the Megalopolis

The megalopolis, as Jean Gottmann so clearly explained, is not a single very large city, but a region composed of many cities of different sizes that are functionally interrelated. The spatial structure of the megalopolis therefore generates a demand for transport and communications. Ports and shipping filled that demand in ways that explain the maritime characteristics of megalopoli until the mid-twentieth century. What did ports contribute to the development of megalopolises? How has the impact of the port on megalopolis changed over time? And how can the spatial characteristics of big-city ports be related to an analysis of urban functions? In a paper of this length, broad generalisations will be considered as hypotheses to be tested.