{"title":"Evolution of Metro Station-level Travel Behavior in Xi’an, China: a Comparison of Pre, Peri, and Post Pandemic","authors":"Peikun Li, Wenbo Lu, Chaoqun Ma","doi":"10.1007/s12061-025-09681-3","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on the lives and travel of all humans, which to some extent has changed human travel behavior of the metro. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to investigate the spatial-temporal evolutionary characteristics of metro travel behavior in the pre, peri, and post-COVID-19 pandemic periods. Firstly, the stations were categorized into four groups based on passenger flow characteristics, using the K-means algorithm, and the functionality of each category was defined. Secondly, the change between origin-destination (OD) passenger flow and average travel distance of passengers (ATDP) in different COVID-19 periods was analyzed using metro smart card data. Thirdly, the study quantitatively analyzed the relationship between the changes in ATPD of subway passengers and the surrounding land use using the Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) method and examined the spatial distribution heterogeneity of the local influencing variables. The results demonstrate that the ATDP for all stations decreased dramatically in the peri-COVID-19. Meanwhile, the distribution of OD passenger flows shows the least fluctuation between residential-oriented stations and the fastest recovery of OD passenger flows in the post-COVID-19 period. The analysis results of these changes provide valuable theoretical and empirical support for the implementation of effective epidemic control measures in the post-COVID-19 era and for addressing potential future public health crises in the metro system.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":46392,"journal":{"name":"Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy","volume":"18 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12061-025-09681-3","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on the lives and travel of all humans, which to some extent has changed human travel behavior of the metro. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to investigate the spatial-temporal evolutionary characteristics of metro travel behavior in the pre, peri, and post-COVID-19 pandemic periods. Firstly, the stations were categorized into four groups based on passenger flow characteristics, using the K-means algorithm, and the functionality of each category was defined. Secondly, the change between origin-destination (OD) passenger flow and average travel distance of passengers (ATDP) in different COVID-19 periods was analyzed using metro smart card data. Thirdly, the study quantitatively analyzed the relationship between the changes in ATPD of subway passengers and the surrounding land use using the Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) method and examined the spatial distribution heterogeneity of the local influencing variables. The results demonstrate that the ATDP for all stations decreased dramatically in the peri-COVID-19. Meanwhile, the distribution of OD passenger flows shows the least fluctuation between residential-oriented stations and the fastest recovery of OD passenger flows in the post-COVID-19 period. The analysis results of these changes provide valuable theoretical and empirical support for the implementation of effective epidemic control measures in the post-COVID-19 era and for addressing potential future public health crises in the metro system.
期刊介绍：
Description
The journal has an applied focus: it actively promotes the importance of geographical research in real world settings
It is policy-relevant: it seeks both a readership and contributions from practitioners as well as academics
The substantive foundation is spatial analysis: the use of quantitative techniques to identify patterns and processes within geographic environments
The combination of these points, which are fully reflected in the naming of the journal, establishes a unique position in the marketplace.
RationaleA geographical perspective has always been crucial to the understanding of the social and physical organisation of the world around us. The techniques of spatial analysis provide a powerful means for the assembly and interpretation of evidence, and thus to address critical questions about issues such as crime and deprivation, immigration and demographic restructuring, retailing activity and employment change, resource management and environmental improvement. Many of these issues are equally important to academic research as they are to policy makers and Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy aims to close the gap between these two perspectives by providing a forum for discussion of applied research in a range of different contexts
Topical and interdisciplinaryIncreasingly government organisations, administrative agencies and private businesses are requiring research to support their ‘evidence-based’ strategies or policies. Geographical location is critical in much of this work which extends across a wide range of disciplines including demography, actuarial sciences, statistics, public sector planning, business planning, economics, epidemiology, sociology, social policy, health research, environmental management.
FocusApplied Spatial Analysis and Policy will draw on applied research from diverse problem domains, such as transport, policing, education, health, environment and leisure, in different international contexts. The journal will therefore provide insights into the variations in phenomena that exist across space, it will provide evidence for comparative policy analysis between domains and between locations, and stimulate ideas about the translation of spatial analysis methods and techniques across varied policy contexts. It is essential to know how to measure, monitor and understand spatial distributions, many of which have implications for those with responsibility to plan and enhance the society and the environment in which we all exist.
Readership and Editorial BoardAs a journal focused on applications of methods of spatial analysis, Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy will be of interest to scholars and students in a wide range of academic fields, to practitioners in government and administrative agencies and to consultants in private sector organisations. The Editorial Board reflects the international and multidisciplinary nature of the journal.
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