Size distribution of urban blocks in the Tokyo Metropolitan Region: estimation by urban block density and road width on the basis of normative plane tessellation

ABSTRACT

The size distribution of urban blocks is important for the characterisation of urban block patterns and is known to follow several parametric statistical distributions. However, it has not previously been analysed on the basis of a normative plane tessellation and in terms of urban block density and mean road width. In this article, we formulate the size distribution of Voronoi cells using the gamma distribution estimated by urban block density and mean road width. We found that (1) both log-normal and gamma distributions can be good candidates for the size distribution of urban blocks at the scale of a region that consists of regular urban blocks and that has a uniform road width; and (2) the size distribution of urban blocks depends on the balance between pattern and width improvement effects. Based on one study region in Tokyo, if the pattern improvement effect is more prominent than the width improvement effect, the mode of urban block sizes tends to be larger than if it is not. These findings are expected to provide scientific support for urban planning (e.g. land readjustment projects).

KEYWORDS:

• Urban block
• size distribution
• gamma distribution
• log-normal distribution
• Voronoi cell

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to three anonymous referees for their extremely valuable comments and suggestions. This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers JP17K12978 and JP16H01830.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers [JP17K12978 and JP16H01830].