Daily rhythm of urban space usage: insights from the nexus of urban functions and human mobility

As urban density increases, it becomes increasingly common for multiple functions to coexist within the same space, intensifying the complexity of human activity dynamics. However, traditional urban zoning, which relies on the spatial distribution of urban functions and human activities, focuses on the spatial heterogeneity of urban space and fails to capture the temporal dynamics of urban space usage. This paper aims to investigate the daily rhythm of urban space usage and illustrate how the distribution and combination of urban functions affect the daily usage rhythm. Taking Beijing in China as a case, we first identified the daily rhythm of urban space usage with the k-means algorithm and zoned urban space accordingly. Subsequently, multinomial logistic (MNL) models were employed to elucidate how the distribution and combination of urban functions influenced these daily usage patterns. Furthermore, a validation study in typical zones was conducted. The results revealed the existence of a distinct daily rhythm in urban space usage, resulting in the classification of urban space into seven distinct zones: high equilibrium, low equilibrium, diurnal, nocturnal, morning, evening, and noon-type zones. Also, we found that this daily usage rhythm is closely intertwined with the distribution and coexistence of urban functions. Our findings could provide valuable insights for the enhancement of various intricate aspects within urban decision-making processes, including urban planning, transportation management, and more, at a fine-grained scale.