IN-PERSON: Livable Cities – New York

Abstract

Human movement is a hot topic in geography, especially during times of transition (COVID 19 pandemic). The implementation of social distancing and lockdown policies has limited human mobility, including non-motorized and motorized transportation. However, there are still some city regions where more human movement occurred throughout the pandemic. Understanding urban facility configuration and socio-spatial inequality requires a thorough examination of intracity population mobility and their relationship to socioeconomic factors. The primary purpose of this research is to determine where in a city peak mobility pattern occurred. The city of Lubbock in Texas will be researched to undertake this research. First, Human daily mobility was compiled for one month in 2021, which includes origin-destination, population, and visitor flows. Second, a hotspot analysis will be carried out in ArcGIS pro using mobility data. HotSpot analysis will aid in predicting which areas of the city have a higher density of inhabitants and visitor movement. Finally, the overlaid HotSpot, land use, and socioeconomic maps will be analyzed regarding the equal distribution of urban facilities among different social groups. Preliminary studies have shown that the spatial distribution of services is highly uneven, with some areas enjoying excellent access to high-quality services and others struggling to access services. The study investigates how spatial configurations and inequality correlate. The findings recommend that city planner, urban designers, and policymakers ensure that urban facilities are distributed equally and enshrined human rights aligns with SDGs.