Rethinking the Identification of Urban Centers from the Perspective of Function Distribution: A Framework Based on Point-of-Interest Data

Abstract

Urban spatial structure has a significant impact on the sustainable development of cities. An important step of urban spatial structure analysis is the identification of urban centers. From the perspective of urban function distribution, this study developed a theoretical framework of three layers for urban center identification. In the first layer, point-of-interest data were collected from geospatial databases and utilized to capture the spatial distribution of urban functions. In the second layer, the density-based spatial clustering of application with noise (DBSCAN) algorithm was employed to group points of interest into urban centers according to their inter-distances and urban functions. In the third layer, the spatial distribution of the identified urban centers was visualized by the ArcGIS platform. This framework was applied in the urban center analysis of Beijing. The results showed that Beijing is in the process of transitioning from monocentric to polycentric with urban functions distributed unevenly throughout the city. To facilitate this transition, strategies such as the construction of super-large communities, the development of branch campuses and higher-education parks, and the enhancement of modern culture industries should be considered for the 11 new towns of Beijing.

Measurement of Polycentric County-Level Areas in a Rapid Urbanization Region from a Public Service Perspective

“…Point-of-interest (POI) data, formally known as the real geographic POI, are a commonly used data source [29,30]. In some existing studies, scholars proved that POI data with high spatial precision and small geospatial granularity provide a fairly good spatial expression ability that can support the urban center recognition method [29][30][31].…”

“…Second, the grids are selected as candidates according to their POI kernel density with a 600 m search radius, to smoothly fit the spatial influence of public facilities. The total number of candidate grids for each county-level administrative unit is 10% of the entire grid that covers the entire construction land in this unit [31]. Third, the urban center boundaries are established as follows (Figure 1).…”

Proposta de Identificação de Subcentros Urbanos com Base na Distribuição Espacial das Funções: caso da Cidade de Maputo - Moçambique

“…Para Yu et al (2020) um dos passos mais importantes para analisar a estrutura espacial urbana é a identificação das suas centralidades. A identificação de centralidades tem sido abordada em vários estudos.…”

A Methodological Approach on Disused Public Properties in the 15-Minute City Perspective

“…Since the 1980s, the decommissioning of industrial areas and most of the buildings and large public infrastructures that made up the nineteenth-century city and the first half of the twentieth century, which have now become obsolete, inaugurated the phase of conversion, recalling institutions and organizations directly involved, investors and civil society itself to define enhancement proposals [2][3][4]. Similarly, central locations have also changed in typology and spatial distribution [5][6]. However, even with the recent health crisis, they continue to invoke "favorable" urban positions.…”