Mirza Ammar Shahid

This study explores the spatial pattern of warehouse and distribution centres in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. Temporal changes were also analyzed by exploring the distributions of facilities prior to 2002, between 2003 and 2022, and future developments (2023 to 2027). Across these time periods, the weighted mean center and directional ellipse were calculated to explore the spatial structure of the facilities. The results show that there is a trend where new facilities are locating near main transportation hubs (i.e., airports and highway intersections) that is occurring across all time periods within the study. Additionally, there is a trend of facilities becoming larger over time. This has implications for the economy and urban design of Toronto, as it shows a change in where economic activity is occurring. This is particularly important as warehousing and distribution centres are becoming increasingly important due to the rise of just-in-time logistics and e-commerce.
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