Rectangular routing systems in a model city

The characteristics of commuter travel are studied in this paper by means of a simple model of an inhomogeneous city consisting of a central business district, surrounded by a residential zone. It is shown that, with a rectangular routing system, both the shape of the city and the existence of the central business district have a significant effect on the average distance travelled by a commuter. The case of a square inhomogeneous city, with two modified rectangular routing systems, is then dealt with. It is shown that the total size of the city, relative to the size of its central business district, is an important factor in the choice of an optimal routing system. The criteria used to evaluate the routing systems are average distance travelled and average travel time (A).