Re-evaluating polycentric urban structure: A functional linkage perspective. (June 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wang, Tianyu; Yue, Wenze; Ye, Xinyue; Liu, Yong; Lu, Debin
• Is Part Of: Cities. Volume 101(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-06
• Subjects: Polycentric city -- Intra-urban -- Functional linkage -- Taxi trajectory -- Community detection -- Functional urban region; City planning -- Periodicals; Urban policy -- Periodicals; 711.4
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2020.102672
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0264-2751

Abstract

Abstract: Polycentric urban development has become the buzzword among urban scholars, decision-makers, and planners around the world. From the existing polycentric urban research, a functional approach is increasingly concerned by scholars except for morphological terms. Functional linkages are investigated among the (sub)centers of a polycentric urban system (PUS). However, the (sub)centers are usually pre-defined by a city master plan or identified by a density-sliced approach. However, the definition of the (sub)centers is still dependent on the morphological dimensions rather than functional linkages. To fill the gaps, we proposed a flow-based solution for delineating functional urban regions (FURs). We first built a spatially-embedded network of the entire city within extensive travel flows and then used a community detection method to reveal FURs. The characteristics of the whole PUS and the properties of each FUR are further assessed using complex network analysis. Based on the taxi trajectories of Shanghai, this study shows that the subdivisions of FURs are not necessarily consistent with administrative divisions. The functional linkages are strong among the (sub)centers surrounding the main center, and they are relatively weak among the newly established (sub)centers in the periphery. These findings call for policy interventions to increase the functional linkages of (sub)centers. Highlights: The identification of the FURs is based on the perspective of spatial interactions, rather than the morphological dimension. On the basis of urban taxi trajectories, community detection is applied to identify the locations and extents of the FURs. Social network analysis and Chord diagram are used to describe the characteristics of functional linkages between FURs. The study shows a sub-regional structure of the city which is different from the pattern of administrative divisions. Our results call for the future implementation of a "people-oriented" polycentric strategy based on human activities .