Central Place Theory Based on Mobile Signal Data: The Case of Urban Parks in Beijing and Changsha

The Central Place Theory (CPT) proposed the basic concepts of central places and their service areas. Urban parks provide a wide variety of ecosystem services to residents. Most studies on central places focus on urban commercial facilities; however, it remains unclear whether parks exhibit patterns of central places, what features their service areas, and hierarchical structures. Based on mobile signaling data, we identified the service areas, dominant influence areas, and hierarchical structures of Beijing and Changsha. We also analyzed the factors influencing the hierarchical structure of park services, as well as the number of visitors and dominant service areas at each level of parks. We found that visits by residents to parks in Beijing and Changsha exhibit a clear hierarchical structure. Parks that occupy the top level attract a large number of residents and demonstrate strong service capacity and extensive coverage. We also found that park area and infrastructure attributes are significantly correlated with the hierarchical outcomes in Changsha but entirely different results in Beijing. Box plot analysis of visitor numbers and service areas at each level reveals that the influencing factors for these two aspects differ. Overall, both cities’ parks exhibit centrality and hierarchical structures in providing services to residents; however, there is a considerable difference in the factors influencing visitor numbers and dominant service areas for the two cities. These conclusions provide important theoretical support for government officials to better understand the characteristics of park services and offer practical guidance for optimizing urban park planning, enhancing service efficiency, and formulating policies that promote equitable access to green spaces.