Opinions and Debates
WANG Jiaoe, Xinyu (Jason) CAO, CAO Weidong, Chia-Lin CHEN, Frédéric DOBRUSZKES, César DUCRUET, FU Xiao, Andrew R. GOETZ, GUO Jianke, HUANG Jie, LI Yuanjun, Becky P. Y. LOO, Tim SCHWANEN, WANG Lei, YANG Dong, Anming ZHANG, ZONG Huiming, WU Qitao
Transport geography focuses on the interactions between transportation systems and geographical spaces, as well as their impacts on socioeconomic development and environmental change. In recent years, the scope and focus of transport geography have continued to expand, and new changes have taken place in its research paradigm. To promote the innovative development of transport geography, this article builds upon the discipline's connotations, characteristics and research frontiers. It conducts an interdisciplinary dialogue around four thematic sessions: Theory, Sector, Interdiscipline and Prospect. (1) The Theory session proposes that the localization and globalization of the theories and concepts of transport geography, as well as the transformation of research objects and paradigms, have become the key focuses of scholars' future research. (2) The Sector session puts forward that air transportation, maritime shipping, logistics activities and road transportation have different roles and functions for the development of transport geography. (3) The Interdiscipline session suggests that transport geography is closely related to disciplines such as spatial planning, computer science, sociology and GIS, and has the potential for interdisciplinary research. (4) The Prospect session points out the direction of transport geography in the future from the dimensions of low-altitude transportation, new transportation models, mobility and disciplinary frontiers.