Spatial Correlation of Formats in the Central Districts of a Megacity: The Case of Shanghai

Abstract

A “format” is an essential component of a city’s central districts and reflects their economic characteristics. In the urban context, individual formats relate to and mutually influence each other. Using data from two central districts in Shanghai—People’s Square and Lujiazui—and a case study approach, we investigated the mutual influences and relations among formats in these districts. We collected and categorized data on formats and assessed the degree of format aggregation. We also identified and described three different types of spatial relationships that may exist among formats: Strong two-way correlations, strong one-way correlations, and weak two-way correlations. These spatial relationships reflect the spatial distribution structure in an urban central district, embodying the systemicity and integrity of formats. The relationships we found have significance for future research on spatial relationships in other urban central districts.

Spatial Correlation Network of Format in the Central Districts of a Megacity: The Case of Shanghai

“…Hu et al found that the distribution of formats in a downtown area was not balanced and identified and described three different types of spatial relationships that may exist between any two formats. Although the above studies investigate the layout and relationships of the formats in the format space, it does not explore the internal relationship between the formats and the rest of the business or the role of a single business within the space [16].…”

“…Hu [16] proposed that the degree of format aggregation represents the spatial correlation between the affected core area and the surrounding formats within a range of N meters and is expressed by the number of formats within this range. This suggests that formats, and other formats within the range of N meters, have strong spatial correlations.…”