Economic corridor

Economic corridors are integrated networks of infrastructure within a geographical area designed to stimulate economic development. They connect different economic agents in a particular geographic area. Corridors may be developed within a country or between countries. Corridors exist in Asia, Africa, and other areas.

Economic corridors often feature integrated infrastructure, such as highways, railroads and ports, and may link cities or countries. Corridors may be created to link manufacturing hubs, areas with high supply and demand, and manufacturers of value-added goods. When implemented, economic corridors are often one of a package of different measures including infrastructure development, visa and transport agreements, and standardisation. Consideration of social needs, such as housing, is often considered.

The Asian Development Bank coined the term in 1998.

In practice, the term "economic corridors" has most often been used to connote road highways (e.g. East-West Economic Corridor and Southern Economic Corridor of the Greater Mekong Subregion program (GMS)). The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is also anchored on transport connectivity, including several power plants. More recent work has emphasized the need for a clear link of linear infrastructure (like roads) to broader, spatial economic activities. A corridor exemplifying this is the Almaty–Bishkek Economic Corridor (ABEC).