Using mobility data as proxy for measuring urban vitality

Patrizia Sulis, Ed Manley, Chen Zhong, Michael Batty

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

136 Citations (Scopus)
580 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a computational approach to Jane Jacobs’ concept of diversity and vitality, analyzing new forms of spatial data to obtain quantitative measure- ments of urban qualities frequently employed to evaluate places. We use smart card data collected from public transport to calculate a diversity value for each research unit. Diver- sity is composed of three dynamic attributes: intensity, variability and consistency, each measuring different temporal variations of mobility flows. We then apply a regression model to establish the relationship between diversity and vitality, using Twitter data as a proxy for human activity in urban space. Final results (also validated using data sourced from OpenStreetMap) unveil which are the most vibrant areas in London.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)137-162
JournalJOURNAL OF SPATIAL INFORMATION SCIENCE
Volume16
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

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