Abstract
The distribution of services across a territory generates daily commuting flows, which have a significant influence on the development of the territory and often causes congestion in large areas. This negatively affects the environmental, economic and social components of the metropolitan landscape. Using the graph theory, we constructed and analyzed various (in typologies of transportation and moving time) flow networks in the two main Italian metropolitan areas: Rome (MCR) and Milan (MCM). The analysis of these networks provided us with strategic information on the dynamics of the two urban macro-systems. In particular, the aim of our study was to: (i) identify the characteristics, distribution and direction of the main attractive forces within the regional systems under study; (ii) identify the main differences in size and structure of commuter networks between the two metropolitan areas and between the two regional systems that include the two mother cities; and, (iii) identify the main differences in the size and structure of the two commuting networks by transport modes (private, public, non-motorized mobility) and the travel time. The results highlighted significant differences between the two case studies regarding volume flows, complexity and structure networks, and the spatial extension of the territories that are governed by the two metropolitan areas. MCR is a strongly monocentric urban system with a regional influence centred on the mother city of Rome, while MCM is a diffused polycentric regional metropolitan system centred on multiple mother cities. The findings many have a role in urban planning choices and in the evaluation of policies aimed to favor sustainable mobility.
Highlights
The sustainability of a contemporary city and its evolution depends on the ability of institutions to harmonise resource use, infrastructure, and social investment, and technological development [1]
The dimension of the phenomenon is considerably greater in the Lombardy region (Milan) than in the Lazio region (Rome), the total flow of commuters (TMUE), and the number of strings are, respectively, 4 and 10 times higher in the Lombardy region (Table 3)
Regional commuting in Lombardy is centred on several “mother cities”, such as Brescia and Mantua in addition to Milan
Summary
The sustainability of a contemporary city and its evolution depends on the ability of institutions to harmonise resource use, infrastructure, and social investment, and technological development [1]. Recent studies show increasing urbanization rates caused by a large-scale population shift from rural and marginalized areas to cities [3]: in 1800, only 2% of the world’s population lived in urban areas. This percentage rose to 14% in 1900, 29% in 1950, 47% in 2000 and over 50% in 2008 [4]. It is estimated that by 2050, 70% of the global population will be living in urban areas, which will increase to 100% by the end of the century [5]. The flows, as generated by new residents and/or city users as in the case of commuting, are the basis of the new economic, political, and social geographies that influence the development of new regional and continental landscapes [7,8,9]
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