Exploring the Urban Structure of Recreational Spaces through Residents’ Mobility Behavior Using Mobile Phone Signaling Data

With urban development taking the shape of a people-oriented approach, combinations of human behavior and physical spaces are under the spotlight of urban research. This study aims to explore the methodology of integrating residents’ recreational behaviors with the structure of urban physical spaces, thereby providing a reference for improving and optimizing existing recreational spaces. It delves into a method for identifying residents’ recreational activities through mobile phone signaling data. From the standpoint of recreational behaviors, this study establishes an analytical framework for the urban structure of recreational spaces, which encompasses activity intensity, space radiation capacity, and recreational–residential function structures. Employing Nanjing, China, for empirical analysis, the results are as follows: (1) The distribution of activity density is unbalanced, which displays a high degree of polarization in the downtown and a gradual decline from the downtown outward. (2) There is a lack of city-wide influential recreation center and a higher proportion of recreational activities occur in the subdistricts adjacent to residences. (3) The structural proximity of residential recreational functions is influenced by administrative divisions.