The Relationship between Transport and Social-Economic Development: Reading National Data from a New Point of View

Wise transport infrastructure planning requires that it is possible to forecast consequences of varying infrastructure supply, given starting conditions. This is often neglected in practice, also because it needs complex considerations. Progress in understanding and predicting mobility phenomena and, as a consequence, in transport planning can be made if we change the traditional paradigm according to which moving is just a derived need. It seems simpler and corresponds more closely to reality to consider moving a native human need. In this paper we start from this new paradigm and propose a conceptual framework to study the relationship between transport infrastructure and development. In doing so, we define the significant indicators which are analyzed by correlation analysis and graphical presentation. Interesting conclusions are drawn about dynamics involving the development of social-economic and transport systems. Finally, we highlight that, in the modeling field, it is promising to look at infrastructures as capabilities essential not only to economic development but also to promoting human liberties and solidarity.