by Merten Nefs
Abstract
Trade infrastructure and logistical activities have long been regarded as a source of both prosperity and nuisance. However, the benefits and burdens of logistics are not distributed equally in space. Therefore, this paper assumes that logistics planning is a spatial justice issue. The planning literature suggests that (i) logistics developments are causing and increasing socioeconomic inequality in hinterland areas worldwide, and (ii) that hinterland communities might use local democratic processes to influence the trade-off between logistical benefits and burdens. Research in Dutch regions featuring heavy logistics hotspots shows that (1) spatial justice argumentation serves a role in the policy discourse and decision-making on logistics developments at the local and regional levels; (2) the media discourse and decision-making on logistics development differ considerable per province and per political party. Whilst the spatial justice arguments on the benefits and burdens of logistics have clearly influenced the planning discourse, as well as local and provincial decision-making, the topic remains highly polarised. Thus, national policies are crucial to create a level playing field for logistics developments across regions, in which gains and pains are more balanced. The emerging circular economy, in which the logistics system is expected to perform more diverse tasks, such as refurbishing and reuse of products, provides both a challenge and an opportunity to shift the balance of gains and pains in various locations.
Keywords: hinterland, logistics, spatial planning, spatial justice, circular economy
About the speaker:
Merten Nefs is a spatial planner and analyst at the Erasmus Centre for Urban, Port and Transport Economics, based in Rotterdam. He was born in 1979 and grew up in the Dutch province of Zeeland. After graduating in architecture at Delft University of Technology, Merten worked for 5 years as a spatial designer and researcher in São Paulo, Brazil. Back in the Netherlands, he worked for 12 years at the Deltametropolis Association, a spatial planning think tank. He frequently teaches at the Master City Developer, Erasmus University, Amsterdam Architecture Academy and other institutes. He recently concluded his PhD research on Landscapes of Trade, and places of logistics in the Netherlands that have emerged since the 1980s and face various planning challenges, including their position in the circular economy.
