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The underlying complexity of urban space can be manifested by its fractal forms and scaling statistics. This paper examines these characteristics at the intra-urban scale through the lens of clustered street junctions (including road ends) in two Chinese metropolitan areas: Beijing and Shenzhen. We derived the cluster sets with Euclidean distance thresholds starting at 100 meters (m) and ending at 1000 m, and outlined each cluster using a concave-hull method to maintain their original irregular shapes. Within each delimited cluster, we examined four urban attributes: gross domestic product, number of street nodes, polygon area, and population. Our analysis revealed that power law distribution applied to almost every cluster set in terms of the four attributes, but varied from one attribute to another or from city to city, represented primarily by fluctuated power law exponents and ht-index values whose profiles along with the cluster growth can effectively characterize the urban structure. Additionally, we computed the spectrum of intra-urban scaling exponents with cluster size increments, contributing new insights into the allometric relationships between urban configuration and function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In four decades, China has transitioned from a controlled housing economy to one in which choices (and constraints) are more central drivers of residential change, although government roles in inner area clearance and redevelopment also play a powerful role in residential change. In this paper, data from the China Household Finance Study – Beijing Survey are used to show that while age, education, marital status and tenure have become important variables in the decision to move, residential mobility has Chinese characteristics. Additionally, while choice and opportunity now play important roles in when people move and where, many in poor-quality housing have low likelihoods of moving. There is a growing bifurcated outcome where those with resources move into commodity housing, while others are relegated to poor-quality housing built before the housing market reforms. The process may increase inequality in Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Megacities in China are undergoing transformation in urban functional structure brought on by rapid urbanization and spatial expansion, while private motorization connects disparate functional zones with ever-longer journeys. Policies to control growth of the car fleet while investing in mass public transport, in Beijing and in many other cities, have divided city residents into car users and those dependent on public transport. This paper examines these policies from the transport equity perspective by measuring accessibility disparity between public transport and private car. Cumulative accessibility is measured for each of the two transport modes, while an accessibility equity index (AEI) is developed based on numerical and spatial computation. The recent changes in spatial distributions of population and employment in Beijing are analyzed. Accessibility and AEI are measured using network-based Geographical Information System (GIS) and analyzed quantitatively and spatially. Nine scenarios with different employment location strategies are simulated to analyze their impacts on accessibility and AEI, with clear benefits among the scenarios with regard to accessibility equity for suburban populations. Results suggest that reducing the demand for car use and ownership can be supported through employment spatial redistribution policies, which can be used to raise relative accessibility by public transport. Land use policy can form part of a larger set of spatial and transport policies that includes regulation of the car fleet and public transport development. Such integrated approaches are of particular importance for the present and future megacities of China that are expanding rapidly, with relatively high volume flows on limited movement networks. • Proposed a framework for transport equity assessment through measuring modal and spatial disparity. • Developed an accessibility equity index (AEI) based on numerical spatial computation. • Examined the transport equity of Beijing as a case study. • Applied equity assessment to spatial scenario analysis and policy with equity and efficiency improvement was suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban structure is a vital aspect that profoundly influences the livability and sustainability of cities. Although extensive explorations have conducted on urban structure from the perspective of human mobility, there remains a gap in understanding urban travel networks (UTNs) and spatial structures from a multi-activity perspective. In this study, we first inferred the locations and types of daily activity for over four million Beijing residents through multi-source data fusion. Subsequently, we constructed eight UTNs based on multiple travel flows and employed spatial analysis methods and complex network analytics to explore the structural similarities and disparities across these networks. The results revealed significant spatial heterogeneity, hierarchy, and dependency characteristics within all UTNs in Beijing. Notably, the spatial patterns of UTNs reflect that the current urban structure of Beijing is a hybrid pattern, characterized by the coexistence of polycentric and sector patterns. This study provides a comprehensive portrayal of Beijing's current urban spatial structure and offers valuable scientific insights into urban spatial governance and the configuration of public facilities. • Eight urban travel networks (UTNs) in Beijing were constructed based on multiple travel flows. • All UTNs exhibits significant spatially heterogeneous, hierarchical, and dependency characteristics. • Urban structure of Beijing is a hybrid pattern, characterized by the coexistence of polycentric and sector patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As command centers, headquarters (HQ) of large firms are crucial to the economy of cities where they are located. Since HQ of large firms play a key role in shaping the urban structure, it is important to investigate the locational patterns of HQ within a city for both academic and policy considerations. Based on a data set of publicly listed firms with HQ located in Beijing, we found that the spatial distribution of HQ is characterized by both agglomeration and dispersion. On the one hand, HQ are significantly agglomerated at different geographical scales. Several clusters of HQ have been identified in our study. Moreover, a suburbanization of HQ trend has also emerged. The regression analysis shows that firm attributes, including sector, scale, ownership and year of going public, may explain the location pattern of HQ. We conclude by providing a detailed analysis of HQ distributions within Beijing that is being shaped by both market and state forces; it also highlights the role of HQ location in urban restructuring. The agglomeration of HQ is persistent and could be the results of the interplay between market and state forces, among which the agglomeration economy as well as the urban planning are most important. The results could also shed some light on the development of a “HQ economy” and urban planning for other cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization has induced profound landscape changes. While the spatiotemporal patterns of urban landscapes have been extensively studied, the manner by which the internal structures of already urbanized areas change remains little understood. Characteristic scales are an important measure of landscape structure, and they represent the typical spatial extents of landscape elements in hierarchies. In this study, we quantified temporal variations of the characteristic scales in the central urban landscapes of Beijing and Shanghai over an 18 year period. Using transect data from Landsat images, characteristic scales were identified through wavelet analysis and then classified into several discrete domains using the k-means clustering method. These characteristic scale domains appeared to correspond with the typical extents of the blocks and block clusters in the study areas. Results showed that the number of the characteristic scale domains changed within a small range of 3-5 while the mean values of the characteristic scales within the domains showed substantial temporal variation. Larger characteristic scales were more variable than smaller ones in both cities. Distinguishing relative change rates of building forms, land use and street layout of urban landscapes allowed us to interpret these differences. The street layout of urban landscapes usually reacts slowly to the force of change, acting as the skeleton of the urban landscape. As a result, block sizes can remain relatively stable and corresponding characteristic scales present inheritance features. Land use and building forms are more susceptible to changes. Block clusters with flexible extents could result in significant variation of characteristic scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper developed a method to evaluate the efficiency of urban structure with a focus on public transportation systems. Taking Beijing as an example, the factors of the accessibility of public transportation were identified from perspectives of public transportation services, local economics, and road constructions. Then, people''s satisfaction with public transportation as well as factors of accessibility and people''s personal attributes were analyzed with a Multi-level logistic regression model, and the significant factors of the satisfaction were identified. It was found that the number of bus stops within the vicinity of 800 m, the accessibility to the main places of the city through one ride by public transportation, as well as people''s socio-economic attributes have significantly affected the satisfaction of residents with public transportation services. Based on the results, the urban structure of Beijing in terms of public transportation system was evaluated and proposals were made to improve the transportation environment of Beijing. For example, it was proposed that there should be new bus stops passing the blank areas out of the 800 m service areas of bus stops; bus lines to the main places should be improved; and policy measures should be taken in response to the spatial distribution of residents with different socio-economic features. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]