To Get to the Other Side

Not unlike the philosophical musings that ponder the origin of the chicken and the egg, a similar causality puzzle has long perplexed city planners and proponents of road and rail infrastructure—if you build it, will they come?

Planners need to know that when they build a new road or rail connection, people will use it, justifying the cost of such expensive infrastructure. Cities with strong regional and international transportation links are more likely to have robust economies, but what drives their economic growth: the resourcefulness of a community, or its ability to efficiently connect and interact with a wider group?