Exploring the mobility in the Madrid Community

Abstract

Displacements within urban spaces have attracted particular interest among researchers. We examine the journeys that happen in the Madrid Community considering 24 travel typologies and 1390 administrative areas. From an origin–destination (OD) matrix, four classes of major flows are characterised through coarse-graining: hotspot–non-hotspots, non-hotspot–hotspots, hotspots–hotspots, non-hotspot–non-hotspot. In order to make comparisons between them with respect to spatial and temporal patterns, several statistical tests are performed. The spatial activity as well as transition probabilities between administrative zones are also analysed. The mobility network’s topology is examined (some parameters such as maximal connected components, average degree, betweenness, and assortativity as well as the k-cores are checked). A model describing the formation of links between zones (existence of at least one trip between them) is constructed based on certain measures of affinity between areas.