Gateways and Hubs

Gateways and hubs refer to a rather similar element of the spatial structure of flows. However, the concept of gateway tends to be more restrictive in its definition. While a hub is a central location in a transport system with many inbound and outbound connections of the same mode, a gateway commonly imply a shift from one mode to the other (such as maritime / land). Transport corridors are commonly linking gateways to the inland. Gateways also tend to be most stable in time as they often have emerged at the convergence on inland transport systems while the importance of a hub can change if transport companies decide to use another hub, as common in the airline industry. Thus, a location can at the same time be a gateway and a hub.

Copyright © 1998-2008, Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue, Dept. of Economics & Geography, Hofstra University. For personal or classroom use ONLY. This material (including graphics) is not public domain and cannot be published, in whole or in part, in ANY form (printed or electronic) and on any media without consent. Permission MUST be requested prior to use.