Function and form of U.S. cities

Abstract

The relationship between urban form and function is a complex challenge that can be examined from multiple perspectives. In this study, we propose a method to characterize the urban function of U.S. metropolitan areas by analyzing trip patterns extracted from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey. To characterize urban form, we employ measures that capture road network topology. We cluster cities based on both form and function and subsequently compare these clusters. Our analysis of 52 U.S. metropolitan areas identifies 7 distinct clusters of cities that exhibit similar travel behavior, suggesting that diverse mobility patterns can be effectively grouped into a few universal classes. The observed disparity between the urban-function clustering and the urban-form clustering suggests that travel behavior in the U.S. is not strongly influenced by the physical infrastructure of the city.