The spatial-temporal dynamics of daily intercity mobility in the Yangtze River Delta: An analysis using big data

Accompanied by the rapid development of information communication technology and transport infrastructure, intercity flows of people have been the cornerstone shaping regional integration. Although mapping the geographies of people flows has attracted a lot of interest across scholarly disciplines, uncovering the spatial-temporal dynamics of daily intercity mobility has been under-researched. This is especially the case where varied travel behaviours occur at different periods, which can be defined as temporal heterogeneity of intercity mobility. This study aims to address this lacuna by examining the varied spatial-temporal dynamics of daily intercity mobility. To be specific, using millions of Tencent location-based service records generated within the Yangtze River Delta, this study maps the spatial network of intercity population movements and reveals how different driving forces shape different intercity travels, in which three types of travel purposes — commutes, business trips, and leisure activities — are assumed to play different roles during weekdays, weekends and national holidays. Employing a multivariate regression quadratic assignment procedure, the results show that (1) the pull-push framework can be adapted to reflect the dynamics of daily mobility, and (2) different types of travels are related to different driving factors, and thus generating varied spatial-temporal patterns of intercity mobilities. This study reveals the temporal heterogeneity of daily intercity mobility, and furthermore enhances our understanding of the geographies of YRD's daily intercity mobility.