Explaining the Conceptual Model of Interactions among Ports and Their Hinterlands: A Study by Content Analysis Method

Ports are of major gates of spatial flows. These nodes not only guide the distribution of goods within the supply chain, but also play an important role for developing their hinterlands. Lack of attention to these spatial relationships, especially in countries with endogenous development factors, reduces the importance of local hinterlands. This would also shrink the relations among ports and hinterlands at the local and regional scales. In this regard, identifying and highlighting the components of spatial structure lead to strengthen the relations between ports and hinterlands. Up to now, many articles have been written on Ports and Hinterlands that can be generally classified them into five categories: The role of ports and hinterlands within the supply chain and transportation; function and efficiency of ports; port-city relationships; management, policy-making, and governance of port-regions; and the trajectory of spatial structure of ports, hinterlands, and forelands. This study aims at identifying and weighing the factors of spatial structures and proposing an appropriate theoretical framework on the spatial structure of port-hinterland based on content analysis. The findings suggest six components of spatial structure: territory; node; corridor; activity area; interaction; and discipline. Compilation of these components result new dimensions of spatial structure; such as spatial movement, spatial use and spatial form. Furthermore, during the development of port-hinterland relationships logistic spaces come into being, which enrich the flows of production, distribution, and consumption. Spatial movement depends on the relationship between nodes and communities. Also human activities on the land can form spatial use. Spatial form is based on interaction process between spatial movement and spatial use that can be appeared obviously or be hidden. In the regional structure, component of discipline with obvious outward can introduce a new dimension as logistic spaces. In fact, dimension of logistic space makes difference in spatial structure of port-hinterland compared to other spatial structures. Logistic spaces generally export spatial development flows to undeveloped geographical areas and adjust spatial structure of hinterlands. Overall, these dimensions generates a cycle entitled port-hinterland spatial structure, which can influence the entire spatial structure of a country.