Analysis of a Multiple Traffic Flow Network’s Spatial Organization Pattern Recognition Based on a Network Map

Abstract

Detecting the spatial organization patterns of urban networks with multiple traffic flows from the perspective of complex networks and traffic behavior will help to optimize the urban spatial structure and thereby promote the sustainable development of the city. However, there are notable differences in regional spatial patterns among the different modes of transportation. Based on the road, railway, and air frequency data, this article investigates the spatial distribution and accessibility patterns of multiple transportation flows in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Next, we use the TCD (Transportation Cluster Detection) community discovery algorithm and integrate it with the Baidu Maps API to obtain real-time time cost data to construct a community detection model of a multiple traffic flow network. We integrate the geographical network and topological network to perform feature extraction and rule mining on the spatial organization model of the urban network in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. The results show that: (1) The multiple traffic flow network of the Yangtze River Economic Belt has significant spatial differentiation. The spatial differentiation of aviation and railway networks is mainly concentrated between regions and within provinces, while the imbalance of highway networks is manifested as an imbalance within regions and between provinces. (2) The accessibility pattern of the highway network in the Yangtze River Economic Belt presents a “core–edge” spatial pattern. The accessibility pattern of the railway network generally presents a spatial pattern of “strong in the east and weak in the west”. Compared with sparse road and railway networks, the accessibility pattern of the aviation network shows a spatial pattern of “time and space compression in western cities”. (3) A total of 24 communities were identified through the TCD algorithm, mainly encompassing six major “urban economic communities” located in Guizhou, Yunnan, Anhui, Sichuan–Chongqing, Hubei–Hunan–Jiangxi, and Jiangsu–Zhejiang–Shanghai. (4) The urban network space organization model of the Yangtze River Economic Belt can be roughly divided into three models: the “single-core” model, with Guizhou, Kunming, and Hefei as the core, the “dual-core” model, constructed by Chengdu–Chongqing, and the “multi-core” model, constructed by Changsha–Wuhan–Nanchang and Shanghai–Nanjing–Hangzhou. This model of urban network spatial organization holds indicative significance in revealing the spatial correlation pattern among prefecture-level city units.