Investigating socio-spatial differentiation for metro travelers using smart card data: Older people vs. others

As population aging has been an issue worldwide, the mobility of older people have attracted the attention of scholars from urban planning, transport geography, and social science. However, few have investigated socio-spatial differentiation among mobility groups, considering their daily needs and activity spaces. To fill this research gap, we conducted a comparative analysis of socio-spatial differentiation, based on individual activity spaces. We used smart card data from Kunming, China, to identify selected individuals’ residential locations and travel patterns, and evaluate their accessed activity space. We performed a disaggregated analysis of the individual activity space, and then aggregated the activity counts on each grid. This study found that the residential locations of older metro travelers are significantly different from those of other metro travelers. In addition, socio-spatial differentiation was found to exist due to different daily requirements. The results were confirmed in three LASSO models with built environment variables. These findings are useful in urban and transportation planning to improve elder-friendly services.