The Future of Transportation and Communication

the long version

Transportation and communication systems are the elements which integrate human activities in space and time. They record our past and will be the important determinator of our future. Transportation and communication are indispensible to society, they are the element which bind all economic systems together. Without networks and communication all social andeconomic life will be reduced to isolated phenomena. Furthermore they are the most important prerequisite to increase the level of human interaction and mobility in time and space which gives us the possibility to seek knowledge, experience and social contacts. Mobility is acentral and fundamental feature of human values. The focus of this book is to analyze and structure the future development of transportation and communication and to highlight their significance for society, economy and for the people and their environment. It gives the reader visions and perspectives from Europe, Japan and the USA.