Measuring urban compactness based on functional characterization and human activity intensity by integrating multiple geospatial data sources

Compact development is one of the most effective solutions for sustainable urbanization under the rapid growth of the urban population. Great efforts have been made to measure urban physical compactness while limited attention has been paid to functional zoning of urban areas. Here, we introduce a novel index, called the functional compactness index (FCI), to quantify urban functional compactness through the integration of geospatial data sources, including Points of Interest (POIs) data, Road Network of OpenStreetMap (RNO) data, and National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) nighttime light data. The FCI does not require the analysis of the grid scale and thus, is technically simpler than conventional compactness index (CI). We examined the effectiveness of FCI on estimating urban compactness under four land use scenarios and in four Chinese cities. The results suggest that: (1) the FCI can comprehensively reflect the intensity of human activity, the differentiation between residential zones and other functional zones, and the mixing degree of different functional zones; (2) the FCI is not affected by the service radius of residential zones; (3) the FCI can reflect the overall and local-scale functional compactness of a city; and (4) the FCI can be used to effectively compare spatial characteristics of functional compactness among different cities. In conclusion, the FCI considers the rationality of urban functional layout, which not only is helpful for urban planning, but also enriches the quantitative methods of urban compactness evaluation.