Urban land uses and traffic ‘source-sink areas’: Evidence from GPS-enabled taxi data in Shanghai

Most of the existing literature focuses on estimating traffic or explaining trip lengths from land use. This research attempts to reveal intraurban land use variations from traffic patterns. Using a seven-day taxi trajectory data set collected in Shanghai, we investigate the temporal variations of both pick-ups and drop-offs, and their association with different land use features. Based on the balance between the numbers of drop-offs and pick-ups and its distinctive temporal patterns, the study area is classified into six traffic ‘source-sink’ areas. These areas are closely associated with various land use types (commercial, industrial, residential, institutional and recreational) as well as land use intensity. The study shows that human mobility data from location aware devices provide us an opportunity to derive urban land use information in a timely fashion, and help urban planners and policy makers in mitigating traffic, planning for public services and resources, and other purposes.

► We Investigate the temporal patterns of urban-scale trips at Shanghai, China.
► The temporal patterns of taxi-based trips exhibit strong daily rhythm.
► Traffic ‘Source-Sink Areas’ are identified using the trip data.
► Urban structure is revealed by trip patterns from a dynamic perspective.