Dense and mixed land-use configurations are assumed to encourage higher and prolonged activity levels, which in turn are considered to be important for the condition of urban neighbourhoods. We use mobile phone use data recorded in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, as a proxy for urban activity to test if the density in different forms of urban land use increases the level of activity in urban areas, and if mixed land uses can prolong high levels of activity in an area. Our results indicate that higher densities correspond with higher activity levels, that mixed land-uses indeed diversify urban activity dynamics, and that co-locating particular land uses prolongs high activity levels towards the evening. We proceed to demonstrate that mixed activity provisions and high urban activity levels coincide with urban neighbourhoods that are considered attractive to live and work in; while lower activity levels and markedly low activity mixes coincide with neighbourhoods that are considered disadvantaged.

JACOBS Christiaan;  RIETVELD Piet;  KOOMEN Eric;  TRANOS Emmanouil; 

2014-11-20

PION LTD

JRC86609

0308-518X,   

http://www.envplan.com/abstract.cgi?id=a130309p,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC86609,   

10.1068/a130309p,