Benefits and problems for a city as a transport hub: from an urban planning and governance perspective.IntroductionA transport hub is an agglomeration of different modes of transport, such as maritime, road, rail and air transport. Being a transportation hub brings many benefits and negative effects to the city, which will be discussed in the final part of this essay. There are common characteristics among transportation hubs. Transport hubs are generally the growth poles of a country and region where the movement of goods, people, capital and information is facilitated. There are generally favorable conditions for the development of transport hubs. However, these cities have also suffered from congestion and environmental impacts. Shanghai and Tokyo, both regional and national transportation hubs, will be investigated. The two share some common characteristics, for example, they have a very large population and more than one airport. But due to different reactions from governments, they achieve different results. They pay different costs for transportation hubs, which differentiates them in the level of congestion and environmental impacts. In this report, Shanghai is a transportation hub in a developing country while Tokyo is a transportation hub in a developed country. Brief Introduction of ShanghaiShanghai is a developing city and transportation hub in one of the world's fastest growing countries. In 1978, the nation adopted open-door policies and the creation of the new Pudong District in 1993, which promoted the city's growth. The role of transport hub has been strengthened. The city is located in a developing country, whose GDP per capita meets developing country standards, although the city is highly developed (World Bank, 2010). This city is a gathering place of different m...... middle of paper ...... Entricic urban structure of Shanghai and strategies for the future. Urban Planning Forum, 2010 (01), 26-32. British Chambers of Commerce. (2009). Economic impacts of hub airports. London: British Chambers of Commerce. Vogel, R. (2001). Decentralization and urban governance: reforming the Tokyo metropolitan government. Louisville, KY: University of Louisville. Wendell Cox Consultancy. (2003). Tokyo-Yokohama Commuter Rail Summary, Urban Transportation Information Book, The Public Purpose. New York: Wendell Cox Consultancy. Winston, B. (2000). Study on the development of urban transport. Tokyo: Padeco. World Bank. (July 10, 2010). How we rank countries. World Bank. Retrieved from http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications. Yang, Y. (2006). Research on the realities, problems and countermeasures of Shanghai tourist transportation. Shanghai: Shanghai Jiao Tong University