The analysis and delimitation of Central Business District using network kernel density estimation

• The use of density analysis in urban study was presented.
• We analyzed and delimitated Central Business District by using network kernel density estimation.
• An efficient algorithm of network kernel density estimation was proposed by simulating flow extension phenomena.
• The effect of the proposed approach was explored.

Central Business District (CBD) is the core area of urban planning and decision management. The cartographic definition and representation of CBD is of great significance in studying the urban development and its functions. In order to facilitate these processes, the Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) is a very efficient tool as it considers the decay impact of services and allows the enrichment of the information from a very simple input scatter plot to a smooth output density surface. However, most existing methods of density analysis consider geographic events in a homogeneous and isotropic space under Euclidean space representation. Considering the case that the physical movement in the urban environment is usually constrained by a street network, we propose a different method for the delimitation of CBD with network configurations. First, starting from the locations of central activities, a concentration index is presented to visualize the functional urban environment by means of a density surface, which is refined with network distances rather than Euclidean ones. Then considering the specialties of network distance computation problem, an efficient way supported by flow extension simulation is proposed. Taking Shenzhen and Guangzhou, two quite developed cities in China as two case studies, we demonstrate the easy implementation and practicability of our method in delineating CBD.