Global Chain, Local Pain: Regional Implications of Global Distribution Networks in the German North Range

ABSTRACT As a consequence of global production networks (GPNs), the associated network of freight distribution has gained increasing significance. Whereas the volume of freight transport is expected to increase further, the supply of infrastructure for the movement and handling of consignments appears limited. Particularly at the interfaces, infrastructure capacity for coping with rising throughput is extremely scarce. Any attempt to widen bottlenecks seems to be risky because it happens at some cost and in a contested political and urban environment. This problem will be discussed in the case of the German North Range, with the Port of Hamburg as the traditional gateway and main port, and a scattered system of secondary interfaces and supporting logistics areas. Local constraints, port competition, and the network logic of global distribution systems are challenging the former monopoly of the port, as are plans for establishing a new deep‐sea port at Wilhelmshaven, 150 km west of Hamburg. At the same time, the traditional policy approach of adapting to the needs of the distribution system is coming to an end, owing to fiscal limits, infrastructure constraints, and the generic logic of the global supply chain. In accordance with the emerging global division of labor, various actors and institutions are involved in the management of the chain, with very different powers and interests. Under these circumstances, the attempt to ensure the main port's position by infrastructure expansion is becoming open to question. This could also be a starting point for rethinking how local and regional places could better respond to the new imperative of logistics and distribution. In this respect, it is the network paradigm that could lead the way to a more balanced, cooperative and competitive regional distribution system.