Dynamics in the spatial distribution of hubs in groupage networks – the case of Berlin

Abstract

The paper analyzes the development of the spatial distribution of hubs in groupage networks in Berlin and the surrounding municipalities of Brandenburg in the last two decades and the reasons behind. From 1994 to 2014 the average distance of locations of groupage networks to the respective barycenter increased by 34 percent. While the number of locations closer than 10 kilometers to the city center of Berlin decreased significantly, the number of locations further than 10 kilometers from the city center but closer than 30 kilometers increased. Main reasons for the relocation of the analyzed logistics hubs were lack of large areas of industrial land in Berlin and the quest for good infrastructure connections to motorways and federal Highways.