本研究以臺北縣市以外的臺灣本島爲研究區，針對地區內之邊陣地區的差異地理之社會建構層面，就反映在大眾運輸體系之空間障礙上的核心／邊陸結構進行量度與探討，以了解過去臺灣地區反映在大眾運輸體系上之核心／邊陸結構的若干基本特性。受當代社會複雜的時空結構之支配，空間的邊陲性亦成爲一種相對化的現象，是一種社會建構。經由客運路線網所反映出的核心／邊陲結構，在空間結構上，本質上部分仍是承襲了地形等天然障礙因素制約下形成的輻散式大眾運輸空間形態。後來在客運路線網發展過程中的路權與利益分配／再分配歷程，進一步爲行政區域劃分的支配力所凸顯。被濃厚資本主義色彩之客運路線的時空結構所束縛，在複雜的路權分配機制的作用下，不斷生產與再生產差異。差異世界(world of difference)的形構，不僅包括種種空間與地方概念之操弄而相互建構，同時不斷顛覆地方與認同的關係。臺灣地區的非市區型客運路網之空間障礙所形構出之差異地理，清楚地提醒我們不能草率將空間／區域差異等同於地方的獨特性，差異不全然是大自然的“資產”（“負債”?），人類社會在相當大的程度上建構了更大程度的“差異”。
This research aims at investigating the geographies of difference in Taiwan. As a social construct, the peripherality, which are measuring in terms of connectivity of the routes of local transit bus, were not only the reflections of the physical harriers, but also of the (re) distribution processes of privileges and profits in the routes of local transit bus. The variety on spatial domains of the peripherality in different scales indicated the complication of the spatial processes. Three sources dominated such construction could be identified. The first one, which may be described as 'administrative resources,' is concerned with the spatial resources of local government. The second one may be described as 'social-historical conditions,' and the final one is the essential of capitalism. One of the immediate implications of the dynamic processes was the peripheralization in peripheral area of Taiwan.
