Demarcation of the Hourly Communication Area: A Case Study of Xiamen-Zhangzhou-Quanzhou Metropolitan Area, China

Abstract

With the advance of urban integration in China, the hourly communication area has attracted significant attention during the development of urban agglomerations. Using ArcGIS 10.1, this study uses the data on traffic networks and data from surveys conducted in Xiamen- Zhangzhou-Quanzhou Metropolitan Area, Fujian Province, in 2014 to demarcate the theoretical HCAs by applying the convex hull method, and establishes the actual HCAs according to the traffic waiting time. The analysis shows that the extent of the theoretical HCAs of XZQ is beyond the scope of the cities’ domains, with areas of 15473.3 km2, 16356.7 km2 and 19276.9 km2, respectively. Furthermore, this paper shows that the traffic waiting time in XZQ ranges from 31 to 61 min, resulting in the reductions in the actual HCAs of 91.7%, 82.9% and 83.9%, compared to the theoretical HCAs. There are only a few areas of intersection between neighbouring cities. Policies should not only pay more attention to the intra-urban public transit systems but also build adequate public transit terminals to facilitate passenger transfers, such as new metro or light rail systems.