Synergy between transport infrastructures and cities : towars a higher productivity of the economy

Transport infrastructures and cities are usually treated as separate topics in discussions on the spatial future of Europe. Recently the relationship between urban nodes and infrastructure networks has been explored in a string of publications on polynuclear urban regions. This paper will elaborate further on this theme. The central research question is: How can the synergy between transport infrastructure and cities be enhanced? In other words, how can transport infrastructures help to create better places in cities? Our point of departure will be three recent studies: Ter Weel et al., 2010; Dobbs et al., 2011 and European Commission 2011. Each of these studies addresses the future of cities as nodes in global economic networks. In the past we observe an increasing divergence of transport networks and urban patterns in Europe. If we want to improve the functioning of polynuclear urban regions a better integration of infrastructure networks and urban patterns is needed. For instance, the realisation of light rail networks can create better places in urban regions. The impact will be that the agglomeration costs, including the negative externalities of agglomerations, will decrease, and the agglomeration benefits, including the positive externalities, will increase. As a result the productivity of the urban economy will increase and the international competitiveness of the urban region will be strengthened.