Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
review recent progress in GIS-based time-geographical research and activity-based
research (e.g., Chai and Zhao
2009
;Chaietal.
2010c
). In 2010,
Urban Planning
International
, a Chinese journal, published a special issue on time geography co-
edited by Chinese and American time geographers. This special issue included
literature review articles and translated articles from western works that introduced
original thoughts, theoretical framework, and methodological implementation of
time geography (Chai et al.
2010a
). The issue also showcased empirical studies on
different urban issues in China, and discussed the prospects of the time-geography
approach in urban planning practice in China (Chai et al.
2010c
; Huang
2010
;Tana
and Chai
2010
). Whereas theoretical progress has still lagged behind in Chinese
space-time behavior research, more methodological progress has been made in
data collection and analytical tools for space-time behavior research, which is
discussed below.
3.2.2
Progress in Collection of Space-Time Data
The lack of individual-level space-time data has always been a major constraint
for urban geographers in China. In the early stage, individual-level trip-based or
time-use data were limited to a few government-sponsored surveys in large Chinese
cities such as Beijing and Guangzhou,
1
while most data were not available or made
public for academic research. Thus, while activity-diary surveys - or other types of
activity surveys - were the key source of data for space-time behavior research in
the West in the 1990s (e.g., Kwan
1998
; Dijst and Vidakovic
2000
; Shaw and Wang
2000
), Chinese urban geographers also began to design and implement activity-
diary surveys in Chinese cities to collect space-time data.
Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the
first series of activity-diary surveys was conducted in Dalian in 1996, Tianjin in
1997, and Shenzhen in 1998 (see Chai et al.
2002
). The surveys have collected a
consecutive 48-h activity diary (from 0:00 am Sunday to 11:59 pm Monday) with
a temporal resolution of 1 h. A more recent survey was conducted in Beijing in
2007, which developed the survey design in the previous survey with by combining
activity records with detailed travel information and by refining the temporal
resolution from 1 h to 1 min (Chai et al.
2009
). More surveys have been conducted
in Beijing in 2008 (Lan and Feng
2010
), Guangzhou in 2007 (Zhou and Deng
2010
),
Nanjing in 2002 (Liu
2005
), and Urumqi in 2008 (Zheng et al.
2009
).
1
Beijing has large sample trip survey in 1986, 2000, and 2005. Guangzhou has trip survey in 1984
(3 % population sample) and in 1998 (ten thousands sample). The National Bureau of Statistics of
China launched a national level time-use survey in 2008.
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