Social segregation levels vary depending on activity space types: Comparison of segregation in residential, workplace, routine and non-routine activities in Tokyo metropolitan area

Abstract

Given the dynamic spatial characteristics of modern cities, the issue of social segregation based on activity spaces has been gaining increased attention. However, few studies have performed a detailed comparison of the differences in social segregation at different types of activities space on the citywide scale with a relatively small granularity from both place and individual perspectives. To gain a better understanding of the intricate and dynamic aspects of human mobility and its patterns of segregation, it is necessary to conduct comparative research utilizing several activity segregation indices by exploring different contexts behind people's activities. Thus, in this study, we take the Tokyo metropolitan area as a case and classify the activity spaces into four categories: residential, working, routine activities, and non-routine activities, and then calculate the place income segregation and individual experienced income segregation under different activity contexts. Our findings show that the segregation levels vary depending on the activity contexts. For the place income segregation, the segregation level in residential and non-routine activity spaces tends to be higher than that in the working and routine activity spaces, respectively. In terms of spatial distribution, the values of segregation indicators in the suburbs deviate more from the regional mean. In addition, the main composition of the population in highly segregated areas is low- and middle-income class groups, and there are no super-rich activity areas that completely exclude other income groups in the Tokyo metropolitan area. For the individual experienced income segregation, the higher the household income, the lower the segregation level among all households except the poorest. Furthermore, the differences between individual income segregation indicators tend to be smaller near the central area and bigger in suburban areas. This work demonstrates the importance of comparing the differences in various activity segregation contexts in urban spaces instead of merely focusing on one specific perspective.