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Environment and Planning B Urban Analytics and City Science
Article . 2026 . Peer-reviewed
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ZENODO
Preprint . 2025
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Automated versus hybrid street network modelling for centrality and accessibility analysis

Authors: Abdeldayem, Walid; Geddes, Ilaria; Eldesoky, Ahmed Hazem; Stavroulaki, Ioanna; Simons, Gareth; Berghauser Pont, Meta; Charalambous, Nadia;

Automated versus hybrid street network modelling for centrality and accessibility analysis

Abstract

This study evaluates the extent to which fully automated street network modelling can reproduce the analytical outcomes of a hybrid (automated–manual) approach for centrality and accessibility analysis across four morphologically distinct cities: Nicosia, London, Gothenburg, and Madrid. Results show that the geometry-preserving segmentation logic of the automated workflow systematically increases network granularity relative to the continuity-merging rules applied in the hybrid model, producing higher node densities and shorter street segments, particularly in cities with irregular, historically layered street patterns. Despite these geometric differences, angular integration exhibits strong to near-perfect rank correlation between hybrid and automated models across all cases, with agreement increasing at larger spatial radii. This indicates that global configurational structure is robust in automated simplification. Angular betweenness displays lower, though still moderate to high, correspondence, especially at smaller radii, reflecting its sensitivity to over-segmentation and local geometric variation. Spatial autocorrelation analysis reveals that ranking differences are strongly clustered in footpaths in open green spaces and detailed paths in residential areas. However, the differences are more locally confined and diminish at larger radii. Accessibility results further demonstrate scale-dependent divergence: short-range attraction reach and attraction distance estimates align closely between models, whereas discrepancies increase at larger thresholds due to the cumulative effects of finer-grained connectivity and additional pedestrian paths in automated networks. Overall, the findings indicate that automated street network models reliably capture large-scale integration and accessibility patterns across diverse urban contexts, while local, flow-sensitive measures remain more affected by network granularity and path representation. These results support the use of automated workflows for scalable and comparative urban analysis, with targeted manual refinement reserved for contexts requiring high local precision.

Keywords

Automation, Spatial Analysis, Urban planning, Urban design, Urban studies, City Planning, Road network

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    popularity
    This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
    Average
    influence
    This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
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    impulse
    This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
Green
hybrid