Part IV

The Logistics Layer

The global economy runs on containers. The standardisation of the twenty-foot equivalent unit in 1956 was one of the most consequential infrastructure decisions of the twentieth century — more consequential, arguably, than the internet. This part examines the logistics infrastructure that moves goods, people, and data around the world.

2Chapters
Water Thread·Air Thread
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07Chapter 7

Shipping & Containers

How the standardisation of a metal box reshaped the global economy

08Chapter 8

Air & Land Transport

The infrastructure of movement — and why the last mile is always the hardest problem