Fractal characteristics of urban surface transit and road networks: Case study of Strasbourg, France

The fractal characteristics of urban forms and road networks can provide extremely useful information for urban planning. Previous research, however, has hardly acknowledged the fractal nature of transit networks, although this topic is of vital importance given the significance of public transit to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Advances in mechanical engineering 2017-02, Vol.9 (2)
Main Authors: Wang, Hao, Luo, Sida, Luo, Tianming
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Authorship
Cities
Fractals
R&D
Research & development
Researchers
Studies
Theory
Traffic congestion
Traffic control
Traffic flow
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Summary:The fractal characteristics of urban forms and road networks can provide extremely useful information for urban planning. Previous research, however, has hardly acknowledged the fractal nature of transit networks, although this topic is of vital importance given the significance of public transit to city operations. In this study, the fractal characteristics of urban surface transit and road networks were analyzed based on the case study of Strasbourg, France. Two fractal dimensions that are most widely used, the length dimension and branch dimension, were calculated and analyzed using regression and correlation analysis. The results show that surface transit networks are fractal in seven sub-districts of Strasbourg. Furthermore, a relationship was found between the length dimension and branch dimension of road network. The branch dimension of transit network was related not only to the length dimension of transit network but also to the branch dimension of road network. Based on the fractal information, the results suggest possible methods for designing good road and surface transit networks that are well-coupled in urban traffic planning. The implications for urban development are that some potential problems with regard to traffic network structure may exist if current situations are not coincident with some findings in this article.
ISSN:1687-8132
1687-8140
DOI:10.1177/1687814017692289