Revealing the Correlation between Population Density and the Spatial Distribution of Urban Public Service Facilities with Mobile Phone Data

Yi Shi,Junyan Yang,Peiyu Shen

doi:10.3390/ijgi9010038

Abstract

Some studies have confirmed the association between urban public services and population density; however, other studies using census data, for example, have arrived at the opposite conclusion. Mobile signaling data provide new technological tools to investigate the subject. Based on the data of 20 million 2G mobile phone users in downtown Shanghai and the land use data of urban public service facilities, this study explores the spatiotemporal correlation between population density and public service facilities’ locations in downtown Shanghai and its variation laws. The correlation between individual population density at day vs. night and urban public service facilities distribution was also examined from a dynamic perspective. The results show a correlation between service facilities’ locations and urban population density at different times of the day. As a result, the average population density observed over a long period of time (day-time periodicity or longer) with census data or remote sensing data does not directly correlation with the distribution of public service facilities despite its correlation with public service facilities distribution. Among them, there is a significant spatial correlation between public service facilities and daytime population density and a significant spatial correlation between non-public service facilities and night-time population density. The spatial and temporal changes in the relationship between urban population density and service facilities is due to changing crowd behavior; however, the density of specific types of behavior is the real factor that affects the layout of urban public service facilities. The results show that mobile signaling data and land use data of service facilities are of great value for studying the spatiotemporal correlations between urban population density and service facilities.

Highlights

Urban public service facilities can be defined as components of a city of which the primary function is to provide public goods and services, either wholly or partly supported by government [1,2]
Compared to day-time population density, there was a stronger correlation between night-time population density and non-public service facilities
This study explores the spatiotemporal characteristics and mechanism of urban population density by using mobile phone data and public service facility land use data

Summary

Introduction

Urban public service facilities can be defined as components of a city of which the primary function is to provide public goods and services, either wholly or partly supported by government [1,2]. Urban public service facilities play a crucial role in the public’s everyday quality of life. Public facilities can be classified into historical amenities and relatively modern amenities, which are generated mainly by past and present government decisions regarding investment in education, medical care, transportation, and other infrastructure [3,4,5]. There are various types of public service facilities with different functions to support community activities [6]. To address the equity aspect of sustainable development, urban facilities should be accessible at, for example, transportation modes, but should be accessible among all population groups [7]. A spatial equity assessment of urban facilities helps policy-makers and urban authorities to evaluate the effectiveness of the current urban services and facilities [17]

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Conclusion