A multi-view of the daily urban rhythms of human mobility in the Tokyo metropolitan area

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify the spatiotemporal structure of human mobility patterns in the Tokyo metropolitan area (TMA), and to reveal the regional characteristics and differences of dynamic mobility behaviour therein, from the individual, location, and time-use perspectives. Furthermore, this study aimed to describe daily urban rhythms in terms of human mobility. For these purposes, we constructed a GIS microscope by handling our geo-tagged big data based on the person-trip data. Through a multi-view study, we affirmed that the spatiotemporal mobility patterns had a certain consistency at different scales. Results suggested that the human mobility patterns expressed a typical inter-regional functional complementarity and a certain daily rhythm under the layout of TMA’s quadruple concentric ring structure. By grasping the multidimensional dynamic pattern of human behaviour, researchers, the general public, and policymakers can be brought into alignment towards the goal of sustainable urban planning.