Analysing the dynamics of urban functional areas in a rapidly changing spatial structure: Using points of interest data

In the process of rapid urbanisation, the functionalities of urban areas undergo dynamic changes that extend beyond their spatial structures, but these changes have not been sufficiently captured and understood. This study demonstrates how analysing points of interest (POI) data from mapping services reveals the evolution of Beijing's urban functional areas at fine spatial scales. Using POI data from 2013 to 2019, we identify changes in these areas through traditional measures like POI density and diversity, as well as a novel measure—representative POI category—developed through term analysis. The results show that significant changes have taken place in the function of Beijing's urban environment. Particularly, we find significant patterns of decentralisation of urban functions as evidenced by the cluster of decreasing density of POIs in the urban core and increasing density and diversity of POIs in the outer area. We also discover that the importance of urban functions is changing dramatically as the representative POI category in the central area has evolved from dining services to retail stores and living and entertainment services, and that sports and business activities have emerged in the suburbs. Based on the housing market analysis, we find that higher POI density and the functional areas of sports, education, dining and business units are associated with higher housing prices. By utilising low-cost and ubiquitous POI datasets, this study reveals nuanced dynamics of urban functional areas within a rapidly changing spatial structure as well as associated changes in the urban housing market.