A literature review on the space of flows

With the support of information and communication technologies (ICTs), production elements are flowing and interacting with each other continuously. Human production and living activities are no longer confined to the traditional space (space of places, SoPs), but extended to a new kind of space (space of flows, SoFs). With its liquidity, SoFs can greatly break through the limitation of time and space. By means of the flow and interaction of all the element flows, SoFs has been aggressively expanded to the whole field of human activities, and is guiding the formation and development of the regional space to a large extent. This paper aims at conducting a more comprehensive understanding of SoFs. Our research mainly includes the following correlative contents: (1) studying the formation and development of the concept of SoFs, and the association between SoFs and SoPs; (2) analysing the theory of SoFs and its interaction mechanism: (a) revealing the embodiment of the three elements of space in SoFs; (b) analysing the definitions and functions of material flow, population flow, information flow and capital flow, and their relationships; (c) focusing on the information guidance mechanism for the formation and development of SoFs; (d) analysing the interaction mechanism among entities in SoFs by introducing the labor division theory, interdependence theory, and competitive cooperation theory. The main conclusions can be drawn as follows: (1) SoFs depends on and goes beyond SoPs. They will coexist for a long time. (2) In SoFs, all participants have their own “positions” or “locations.” Meanwhile, there are “distances” among different participants. The flow of the element flows in SoFs is caused by demands, attractions or other external forces. (3) All kinds of element flows in SoFs interweave and influence each other. By this way, they promote the development and evolution of SoFs. Any element is indispensable, while the information flow is at the core position and plays a guiding role in the formation and development of SoFs.