Pre-modern network centrality and urban trajectories: lessons from a historical spatial structure

Urban spatial hierarchies are shaped by long-term infrastructural and institutional processes; however, the historical foundations of contemporary regional divergence remain insufficiently examined. Therefore, this study investigated the pre-modern road network in Chungcheong-do, Korea, and explored long-term associations between this early structure and subsequent urban differentiation. The 19th-century intercity network was reconstructed in GIS from the roads depicted in 1861 Daedongyeojido and analyzed using multiple network centrality measures together with socioeconomic attributes from population and market records. The results revealed that early network centrality reflected administrative hierarchy and locational advantages, whereas later urban growth was associated with transport accessibility. Cities positioned along the north–south corridor maintained structural advantages as successive transport systems were superimposed on this axis, whereas historically prominent cities located away from it experienced a decline. Thus, the selective reinforcement of transport efficiency was associated with regional hierarchy reconfiguration. These findings suggest that the contemporary spatial structure reflects an interaction between pre-modern relational configurations and subsequent institutional and infrastructural interventions. This study contributes to debates on path dependence and regional restructuring by highlighting possible links among inherited network accessibility, subsequent infrastructural and institutional changes, and divergent urban trajectories.