Geographies· 2026Q2
A Two-Dimensional Screening Framework for Compact City Plans: Spatial Reorganization Burden and Service-Access Mobility-Energy Outcomes
- 0citations
- Q2SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
A new framework using Urban Spatial Reorganization Distance (USRD) and Urban Mobility Efficiency Index (UMEI) shows that 32.8% of Japanese municipalities (100 out of 305) would worsen service-access efficiency under compact city plans, even with a fixed transit network.
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Key points
- A new framework combines USRD (spatial reorganization burden) and UMEI (mobility energy efficiency).
- Across 305 municipalities, 67.2% (205) showed potential for improved service-access efficiency under compact plans.
- However, 32.8% (100) of municipalities would experience worsened efficiency.
- Worsened efficiency was concentrated in designated and core cities and linked to lengthened modeled trips.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Japan’s Location Optimization Plans designate Residential and Urban Function Guidance Zones, but their outcomes for non-commuting, non-school access to daily services are rarely screened against the spatial reorganization they require. This study pairs the Urban Spatial Reorganization Distance (USRD), an exact optimal-transport, latent-demand-weighted measure of minimum reorganization, with the Urban Mobility Efficiency Index (UMEI), a demand-based measure of mobility energy normalized by the 2020 Census municipal population. Across 305 municipalities, median exact USRD was 2.45 km; 205 (67.2%) improved under full realization with a fixed transit network, whereas 100 (32.8%) did not. Total USRD was not monotonically associated with UMEI improvement (Spearman ρ=−0.056, p=0.331), but non-improvement was concentrated in designated and core cities and accompanied by lengthened modeled trips. Compactness can therefore worsen service-access efficiency when residential and destination zones are spatially misaligned. The USRD–ΔUMEI matrix is a screening framework, not an estimate of financial implementation cost.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Geographies, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Transportation
TransportationSocial Sciences