The Evolution of Employment Spatial Structure in Shenzhen Based on Mobile Phone Signaling Data

Urban spatial structure and its spatial evolution is of great significance for optimizing urban spatial structure and formulating urban spatial planning. Numerous studies have showed that many megacities in the world are moving towards polycentric urban spatial structure, but few studies have considered the role of urban polycentric planning in this process. Based on mobile phone signaling data of Shenzhen in 2012 and 2016, this paper explored the evolutionary characteristics of employment spatial structure in Shenzhen and evaluated the role of urban polycentric planning in the process. Firstly, this study found that Shenzhen is also moving towards a polycentric urban spatial structure and the differences among employment centers are shrinking. In 2012, six employment centers were identified and mainly distributed in Futian District and Luohu District, indicating that the monocentric spatial structure of Shenzhen remained prominent until 2012. By 2016, this study identified ten new employment centers. Except for Futian District and Luohu District, Nanshan District, Longhua District and Longgang District have emerged new employment centers. Secondly, this study confirmed that the polycentric development is a trend in the evolution of Shenzhen’s employment spatial structure, but employment centers identified in 2012 and 2016 have a relatively limited influence on the employment population distribution, especially employment centers outside the Futian District, Luohu District and Nanshan District. Finally, this paper found that the urban master plan has played a significant guiding role in the formation of employment centers in the central city and the central region of Shenzhen, while the planned subcenters, located in the eastern and northwestern of Shenzhen, have not yet been formed and still need to be cultivated and further guided.