Abstract
Topodynamic corridors are not magical, pedagogical devices, or fatalities. The diffusion of innovations both benefits from the existence of such corridors and strengthens them. The concepts of topodynamic inertia and corridor are neither determinist nor the expression of some kind of magic. One has to distinguish between the notions of “cause” and “form.” Geography does not cause economic development. People do. However, geography guides the spatial form development takes. It shapes and orients it in space mainly because people are mobile, while geography is not. It is not the existence of topodynamic corridors that is surprising, it is rather their inexistence which would be stunning, considering that the true basis of economic development lies on the intensity of the economic flows, and that those flows are clearly channeled.
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Tellier, LN. (2019). Understanding Topodynamic Corridors. In: Urban World History. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24842-0_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24842-0_13
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