Dimension Reduction in the Topology of Multilayer Spatial Networks: The Case of the Interregional Commuting in Greece

Abstract

The daily commuting out of the city of residence for labor purposes is a complex phenomenon driven by various geographical, transportation, economic, and social forces. Due to its high level of complexity, current modeling approaches are mainly disciplinary and thus lack a multifaceted approach incorporating diverse conceptualization of this phenomenon. To contribute to this demand, this paper develops a methodological framework integrating aspects of commuting of different contexts, functionality, and level of geographical resolution. The proposed framework builds on a complex network and principal component analysis first to develop a multilayer graph of interregional commuting, next to configure variables representing aspects of network topology, and finally to decompose the total model into principal components expressing uncorrelated aspects in the overall conceptualization of interregional commuting. The proposed framework conceptualizes spatial distance as a major force of network topology and develops a quantitative framework evaluating the consistency of network topology across layers of different geographical resolutions and functionality. The overall approach provides insights into the structure and functionality of interregional commuting and promotes the integrated macroeconomic approach in regional research.