A model to optimize the location and size of facilities based on the area of the facility and the visit time of users

Abstract

This paper proposes a new model to optimize the location and size of facilities that serve the public. The objective function is based on the floor area of the facility and the time that individuals spend in the facility. In this model, the area is used to represent the range of services provided by the facility: the larger the area, the more services are available, and thus the greater the utility. Time spent is based on daily time use and represents the degree to which users could enjoy the services provided: If the time spent in the facility is short, users are unable to take full advantage of the services offered. Focusing on the actual time spent makes it possible to avoid an overestimation of the facility's utility. The proposed model is applied to both a virtual city and an actual city. The results indicate that the optimum size of a facility depends on the amount of time that users can spend in the facility without restriction and that the optimum location is influenced by user activity patterns and population distribution. This suggests that planners should survey the daily time use of potential users before integrating facilities.