Urban evolution as a spatio-functional interaction process: the case of central Shanghai

Precisely identifying the shifting urban spatial structures produced by urban forms and functions contributes to an advanced understanding of morphological dynamics and related planning practices. By reconceptualizing urban evolution as a centrality process in which spatial and functional centrality processes co-evolve, this paper explores the transformation of urban centrality structures of Shanghai, as captured by the shifting interdependence between spatial centrality indices and delivered urban function connectivity metrics, generated in tandem by spatial network and land-use patterns. Four snapshots of street networks and Points-of-Interest (POIs) in history are selected as a spatio-temporal description of the urban transformation of Central Shanghai. The results demonstrate that the centrality structures hidden behind the spatial networks and land-use distributions have affected each other dynamically and the characteristics of urban developments at various stages can be distinguished according to modes of spatio-functional interaction at multi-scales. The findings also indicate that shifting complex interrelationships between the spatial network and land-use patterns are the major determinants of the (re)formation of the urban function regions. The proposed framework offers valuable insights into the morphological evolution process of cities as indicated by the configurational interplay between form and function, thereby representing a novel way to identify urban change explicitly.