The Economic Component of the Metro Freight Study is composed of five chapters. Chapter 1 is an overview of the Twin Cities Metro Area in terms of economic trends and the identification of strategic industries in which the Metro Area enjoys a competitive advantage. The focus of the analysis is on the manufacturing, transportation and wholesale sectors of the economy. These sectors tend to be the most freight intensive industries, especially in terms of two-way freight movements. Also, these sectors are value added activities that are the most important to the basic health of Minnesota's economy.
Chapter 2 describes the "Diamond of Competitive Advantage" ("Diamond") and uses the framework it provides to analyze four clusters of strategic Twin Cities industries. Four clusters of strategic industries are identified; profiled in terms of Location Quotients, employment, value of shipments/sales, and typical shipment mode; mapped relative to Twin Cities interstates and freeways; and analyzed using the four components of the "Diamond."
Chapter 3 describes the economic, demographic, and manufacturing trends affecting industries in the Twin Cities Metro Area. The chapter begins with a discussion of the similarities and differences between the economies of Minnesota and the U.S.; the shift in employment from manufacturing to services; and the Twin Cities as a participant in the U.S. and global economies. The chapter also reviews major demographic trends and their potential effects on the supply of workers and discusses changes in the manufacturing environment that have altered the freight demands of manufacturers and wholesalers.
Chapter 4 relies extensively on County Business Patterns data for 1984 and 1994 to analyze the increasing concentration of Minnesota's economy in the Twin Cities Metro Area, the Metro Area's role as a Regional Trade Center, and the economic relationship between the Metro Area and the balance of the state.
Chapter 5, the final chapter, summarizes the conclusions presented in Chapters 1-4 and raises a number of issues that could pose future challenges to transportation planning in the Metro Area.
