MIT Libraries logoDSpace@MIT

MIT
View Item 
  • DSpace@MIT Home
  • MIT Open Access Articles
  • MIT Open Access Articles
  • View Item
  • DSpace@MIT Home
  • MIT Open Access Articles
  • MIT Open Access Articles
  • View Item
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

Revealing centrality in the spatial structure of cities from human activity patterns

Author(s)
Zhong, C.; Muller Arisona, S.; Schmitt, G.; Schlapfer, Markus Stefan; Batty, Mike McCormick; Ratti, Carlo; ... Show more Show less
Thumbnail
DownloadRatti_Revealing centrality.pdf (2.171Mb)
OPEN_ACCESS_POLICY

Open Access Policy

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike

Alternative title
Revealing the Changing Spatial Structure of Cities from Human Activity Patterns
Terms of use
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Metadata
Show full item record
Abstract
Identifying changes in the spatial structure of cities is a prerequisite for the development and validation of adequate planning strategies. Nevertheless, current methods of measurement are becoming ever more challenged by the highly diverse and intertwined ways of how people actually make use of urban space. Here, we propose a new quantitative measure for the centrality of locations, taking into account not only the numbers of people attracted to different locations, but also the diversity of the activities they are engaged in. This ‘centrality index’ allows for the identification of functional urban centres and for a systematic tracking of their relative importance over time, thus contributing to our understanding of polycentricity. We demonstrate the proposed index using travel survey data in Singapore for different years between 1997 and 2012. It is shown that, on the one hand, the city-state has been developing rapidly towards a polycentric urban form that compares rather closely with the official urban development plan. On the other hand, however, the downtown core has strongly gained in its importance, and this can be partly attributed to the recent extension of the public transit system.
Date issued
2015-10
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/109118
Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Media Laboratory; Sloan School of Management
Journal
Urban Studies
Publisher
Sage Publications
Citation
Zhong, C., M. Schlapfer, S. Muller Arisona, M. Batty, C. Ratti, and G. Schmitt. “Revealing Centrality in the Spatial Structure of Cities from Human Activity Patterns.” Urban Studies 54 (October 16, 2015), pp. 437-455.
Version: Author's final manuscript
ISSN
0042-0980
1360-063X

Collections
  • MIT Open Access Articles

Browse

All of DSpaceCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

My Account

Login

Statistics

OA StatisticsStatistics by CountryStatistics by Department
MIT Libraries
PrivacyPermissionsAccessibilityContact us
MIT
Content created by the MIT Libraries, CC BY-NC unless otherwise noted. Notify us about copyright concerns.