Exploring the interplay between population profile and optimal routes in U.S. cities

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ortega, Diego, Korutcheva, Elka
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866913845629419520
author Ortega, Diego
Korutcheva, Elka
author_facet Ortega, Diego
Korutcheva, Elka
contents Cities have developed over time alongside advancements in civilization, focusing on efficient travel and reducing costs. Many studies have examined the distinctive features of urban road networks, such as their length, efficiency, connection to population density, and other properties. However, the relationship between car routes and population in city structures remains unclear. In this study, we used the center of mass for each city tract, defined by the US Census, as the origins and destinations for our itineraries. We calculated travel time, and both Euclidean and travel distances for sixty major cities. We discovered that the total sum of all routes adheres to an urban law. The distribution of these car journeys follows Weibull functions, suggesting that the urban center plays a crucial role in optimizing routes across multiple cities. We also developed a simple point pattern model for the population, which aligns with the well-known decreasing exponential density expression. Our findings show that the interplay between population and path optimization influences city structure through its center. This study offers a new perspective on the fundamental principles that shape urban design.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_12510
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Exploring the interplay between population profile and optimal routes in U.S. cities
Ortega, Diego
Korutcheva, Elka
Physics and Society
Adaptation and Self-Organizing Systems
Applications
Cities have developed over time alongside advancements in civilization, focusing on efficient travel and reducing costs. Many studies have examined the distinctive features of urban road networks, such as their length, efficiency, connection to population density, and other properties. However, the relationship between car routes and population in city structures remains unclear. In this study, we used the center of mass for each city tract, defined by the US Census, as the origins and destinations for our itineraries. We calculated travel time, and both Euclidean and travel distances for sixty major cities. We discovered that the total sum of all routes adheres to an urban law. The distribution of these car journeys follows Weibull functions, suggesting that the urban center plays a crucial role in optimizing routes across multiple cities. We also developed a simple point pattern model for the population, which aligns with the well-known decreasing exponential density expression. Our findings show that the interplay between population and path optimization influences city structure through its center. This study offers a new perspective on the fundamental principles that shape urban design.
title Exploring the interplay between population profile and optimal routes in U.S. cities
topic Physics and Society
Adaptation and Self-Organizing Systems
Applications
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.12510