Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Use of Graphs to Explore the Network Paradigm in Urban and Territorial Studies

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Proceedings of the 2nd International and Interdisciplinary Conference on Image and Imagination (IMG 2019)

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 1140))

Abstract

As a result of the evolution of the ways of inhabiting and of the ways the economy has evolved in the post-industrial age, the network paradigm has become the most appropriate framework to describe urban and territorial processes. In overcoming the vision of space as a set of areas and points in which the reciprocal position is the main object of the analysis, exploring of internal and external relations to settlement and production systems has become the key element for examining reality. Therefore, finding appropriate tools and methods for examining networks has become fundamental in the studies aimed at understanding the city and territory. In this framework, the graph theory, which allows an analysis of the metric and topological properties of binary relationships represents an increasingly used means for modelling and studying networks also in the science of planning. The visualizations that can be achieved by graph theory in terms of urban and territorial processes have the potential to produce intelligible images of complex phenomena, which, otherwise, would be difficult to describe. The graphic representation of the urban and territorial phenomena is decisive, but sometimes it is underused in influencing public opinion and also the opinions of decision makers and administrators. In this framework this paper reflects on the effectiveness of graphs for exploring the network paradigm in urban and territorial areas under different profiles: communicative effectiveness, analytical effectiveness and interpretive effectiveness.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Albrechts, L., Mandelbaum, S. (eds.): The Network Society: A New Context for Planning. Routledge, London (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrásfai, B.: Introductory Graph Theory. A. Hilger, Bristol (1977)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Bhat, C., Handy, S., Kockelman, K., Mahmassani, H., Chen, Q., Weston L.: Development of an urban accessibility index: literature review. Center for Transportation Research, University of Texas at Austin (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  • Biggs, N.: Graph Theory 1736–1936. Clarendon Press, Oxford (1976)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Blythe, J., McGrath, C., Krackhardt D.C., Krackhardt D.: The effect of graph layout on inference from social network data. In: Brandenburg F.J. (eds.) Graph Drawing. GD 1995. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 1027. Springer, Heidelberg (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bollobas, B.: Modern Graph Theory. Springer, London and New York (2013)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Breslow, L.A., Trafton, G.J., Ratwani, R.M.: A perceptual process approach to selecting color scales for complex visualizations. J. Exp. Psychol.: Appl. 15, 25–34 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  • Caldarelli, G.: Scale-Free Networks. Oxford University Press, Oxford (2007)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Camagni, R., Capello, R.: The city network paradigm: theory and empirical evidence. In: Capello, R., Nijkamp, P. (eds.) Urban Dynamics and Growth: Advances in Urban Economics, pp. 495–529. Emerald Group Publishing (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dematteis, G.: Modelli urbani a rete. In: Curti, F., Diappi, L. (a cura di) Gerarchie e reti di città, FrancoAngeli, Milano (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  • Derrible, S., Kennedy, C.: Applications of graph theory and network science to transit network design. Transp. Rev. 31(4), 495–519 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Di Battista, G., Eades, P., Tamassia, R., Tollis, I.G.: Graph Drawing – Algorithms for the Visualization of Graphs. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River (1999)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Fortunato, S.: Community detection in graphs. Phys. Rep. 486(3–5), 75–174 (2010)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Frees, E.W., Miller, R.B.: Designing effective graphs. North Am. Actuar. J. 2(2), 53–70 (1998)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Ganciu, A, Balestrieri, M., Cicalò, E.: Visualising the research on visual landscapes. Graph representation and network analysis of international bibliography on landscape. In: Proceeding of XIV International Forum Le Vie dei Mercanti, 16–17 Giugno 2016, Napoli (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ganciu, A., Balestrieri, M., Imbroglini, C., Toppetti, F.: Dynamics of metropolitan landscapes and daily mobility flows in the Italian context. An analysis based on the theory of graphs. Sustainability 10(3), 596 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gattuso, D., Miriello, E.: Compared analysis of metro networks supported by graph theory. Netw. Spat. Econ. 5(4), 395–414 (2005)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Gephi tutorial. https://gephi.org/tutorials/gephi-tutorial-layouts.pdf

  • Gibson, H., Faith, J., Vickers, P.: A survey of two-dimensional graph layout techniques for information visualisation. Inform. Vis. 12(324), 324–357 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Girvan, M., Newman, M.E.J.: Community structure in social and biological networks. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 99(12), 7821–7826 (2002)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • González, P.B., Gómez-Delgado, M., Benavente, F.A.: Vector-based cellular automata: exploring new methods of urban growth simulation with cadastral parcels and graph theory. In: Proceedings of the CUPUM 2015, Cambridge, MA, USA, 7–10 July 2015

    Google Scholar 

  • Heckmann, T., Schwanghart, W., Phillips, J.: Graph theory—recent developments of its application in geomorphology. Geomorphology 243, 130–146 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hegarty, M.: The cognitive science of visual-spatial displays: implications for design. TopiCS 3(3), 446–474 (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hegarty, M., Canham, M., Fabrikant, S.I.: Thinking about the weather: how display salience and knowledge affect performance in a graphic inference task. J. Exp. Psychol. Learn. Mem. Cogn. 36, 37–53 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jungnickel, D.: Graphs, Networks and Algorithms. Springer, New York (2004)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Kaufmann, M., Wagner, D. (eds.): Drawing Graphs: Methods and Models. Springer, New York (2001)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Meijers, E.: From central place to network model: theory and evidence of a paradigm change. Tijdschrift voor Econ. Soc. Geogr. 98(2), 245–259 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maciocco, G., Tagliagambe, S.: La città possibile. Edizioni Dedalo, Bari (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  • Magnaghi, A.: La rappresentazione identitaria del territorio Atlanti, codici, figure, paradigmi per il progetto locale. Alinea, Firenze (2005). (a cura di)

    Google Scholar 

  • Minor, E.S., Urban, D.L.: A graph-theory framework for evaluating landscape connectivity and conservation planning. Conserv. Biol. 22(2), 297–307 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newman, M.E.J., Girvan, M.: Finding and evaluating community structure in networks. Phys. Rev. E 69(2), 026113 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Novick, L.R., Catley, K.M.: Understanding phylogenies in biology: the influence of a Gestalt perceptual principle. J. Exp. Psychol. 13, 197–223 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  • Parthasarathi, P.: Network structure and metropolitan mobility. J. Transp. Land Use 7(2), 153–170 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peebles, D., Cheng, P.C.H.: Modeling the effect of task and graphical representation on response latency in a graph-reading task. Hum. Factors 45, 28–46 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Porta, S., Crucitti, P., Latora, V.: The network analysis of urban streets: a primal approach. Environ. Plann. B 35(5), 705–725 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schulz, H.J., Heidrun, S.: Visualizing graphs - a generalized view. In: Proceedings Tenth International Conference on Information Visualisation (IV 2006), London, 5–7 July 2006

    Google Scholar 

  • Sevtsuk, A., Mekonnen, M.: Urban network analysis. Rev. Int. Géom. 2, 287–305 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shah, P., Freedman, E.G., Vekiri, I.: The comprehension of quantitative information in graphical displays. In: Shah, P., Miyake, A. (eds.) The Cambridge handbook of visual spatial thinking. Cambridge University Press, New York (2005)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Simkin, D.K., Hastie, R.: An information-processing analysis of graph perception. J. Am. Stat. Assoc. 82, 454–465 (1987)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Szmytkie, R.: Application of graph theory to the morphological analysis of settlements. Quaest. Geogr. 36(4), 65–80 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trudeau, R.J.: Introduction to Graph Theory. Kent State University Press (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  • Yeh, M., Wickens, C.D.: Attentional filtering in the design of electronic map displays: a comparison of color coding, intensity coding, and decluttering techniques. Hum. Factors 43, 543–562 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, J., Norman, D.A.: Representations in distributed cognitive tasks. Cogn. Sci. 18, 87–122 (1994)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhong, C., Müller, S., Huang, A.X., Michael, B.M., Schmitt, G.: Detecting the dynamics of urban structure through spatial network analysis. J. Geogr. Inform. Sci. 28(11), 2178–2199 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Università di Sassari, Viale Italia 39, 07100, Sassari, Italy

    Mara Balestrieri

  2. CNR, Montelibretti 9, 00010, Rome, Italy

    Amedeo Ganciu

Authors
  1. Mara Balestrieri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Amedeo Ganciu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mara Balestrieri .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Sassari, Alghero, Italy

    Enrico Cicalò

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Balestrieri, M., Ganciu, A. (2020). The Use of Graphs to Explore the Network Paradigm in Urban and Territorial Studies. In: Cicalò, E. (eds) Proceedings of the 2nd International and Interdisciplinary Conference on Image and Imagination. IMG 2019. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 1140. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41018-6_90

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41018-6_90

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-41017-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-41018-6

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation