Study Led by Professor Bo Huang Discovers Universal Patterns in Urban Daily Population Flow
While the daily ebb and flow of people across a city might seem chaotic, new research reveals underlying universal patterns. A groundbreaking study led by Professor Bo Huang, Chair Professor of Urban Sustainability in the Department of Geography at HKU, unveils fundamental spatiotemporal scaling laws that govern these population dynamics. The research team also include Professor Peng Gong, Vice-President (Academic Development) of HKU and Chair Professor of Global Sustainability in the Department of Geography, and Professor Yulun Zhou, Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban Planning and Design, along with experts from University College London, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, and Northeastern University, USA, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of this research.
The study bridges gaps in understanding how urban density and spatial organisation shape human mobility. By applying complexity science to analyse large-scale mobile data from global major cities, the team uncovered a universal spatiotemporal scaling law that governs urban population fluctuations across time and space. The findings advance urban science by integrating temporal dimensions into spatial scaling theories and offer practical tools like “space-time spectra” maps to visualise urban activity patterns. These insights can optimise urban planning, commercial and transportation strategies, guide infrastructure development, and aid in managing public health challenges, ultimately contributing to the development of more resilient and sustainable cities.
This study was recently published in Nature Communications in an article titled “The spatiotemporal scaling laws of urban population dynamics”.