Economic Inequality and the Geography of Activity Space Segregation: Combining Mobile Device Data and Census Data

This article combines daily mobility data collected via mobile device and the American Community Survey to create comprehensive measures of activity space segregation across geographic areas in the United States. We extend conventional measures of spatial segregation to incorporate exposure in indiv...

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Main Authors: Siwei Cheng, Yongjun Zhang, Jenna Shaw
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Russell Sage Foundation 2025-01-01
Series:RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences
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author Siwei Cheng
Yongjun Zhang
Jenna Shaw
author_facet Siwei Cheng
Yongjun Zhang
Jenna Shaw
author_sort Siwei Cheng
collection DOAJ
description This article combines daily mobility data collected via mobile device and the American Community Survey to create comprehensive measures of activity space segregation across geographic areas in the United States. We extend conventional measures of spatial segregation to incorporate exposure in individuals’ routine activities, weighted by the flows of individuals between census block groups. Our analysis reveals three key findings. First, metropolitan areas vary significantly in the degree of activity space segregation. Second, individuals exhibit a lesser degree of income and racial segregation in their activity space than in their residential space. Third, income inequality at the metropolitan statistical area level is associated with greater isolation for both lowest and highest income groups; economic inequality exerts a more substantial influence on activity space isolation than residential segregation.
format Article
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institution DOAJ
issn 2377-8253
2377-8261
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Russell Sage Foundation
record_format Article
series RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences
spelling doaj-art-49ac8ffbb2b24efd8db2d00bdc26fc522025-08-20T02:56:32ZengRussell Sage FoundationRSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences2377-82532377-82612025-01-01111132152https://doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2025.11.1.07Economic Inequality and the Geography of Activity Space Segregation: Combining Mobile Device Data and Census DataSiwei Cheng0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2149-0574Yongjun Zhang1Jenna Shaw2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9350-670XNew York UniversityYongjun ZhangNew York UniversityThis article combines daily mobility data collected via mobile device and the American Community Survey to create comprehensive measures of activity space segregation across geographic areas in the United States. We extend conventional measures of spatial segregation to incorporate exposure in individuals’ routine activities, weighted by the flows of individuals between census block groups. Our analysis reveals three key findings. First, metropolitan areas vary significantly in the degree of activity space segregation. Second, individuals exhibit a lesser degree of income and racial segregation in their activity space than in their residential space. Third, income inequality at the metropolitan statistical area level is associated with greater isolation for both lowest and highest income groups; economic inequality exerts a more substantial influence on activity space isolation than residential segregation.activity spacesegregationeconomic inequalitymobile device datacensus data
spellingShingle Siwei Cheng
Yongjun Zhang
Jenna Shaw
Economic Inequality and the Geography of Activity Space Segregation: Combining Mobile Device Data and Census Data
RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences
activity space
segregation
economic inequality
mobile device data
census data
title Economic Inequality and the Geography of Activity Space Segregation: Combining Mobile Device Data and Census Data
title_full Economic Inequality and the Geography of Activity Space Segregation: Combining Mobile Device Data and Census Data
title_fullStr Economic Inequality and the Geography of Activity Space Segregation: Combining Mobile Device Data and Census Data
title_full_unstemmed Economic Inequality and the Geography of Activity Space Segregation: Combining Mobile Device Data and Census Data
title_short Economic Inequality and the Geography of Activity Space Segregation: Combining Mobile Device Data and Census Data
title_sort economic inequality and the geography of activity space segregation combining mobile device data and census data
topic activity space
segregation
economic inequality
mobile device data
census data
work_keys_str_mv AT siweicheng economicinequalityandthegeographyofactivityspacesegregationcombiningmobiledevicedataandcensusdata
AT yongjunzhang economicinequalityandthegeographyofactivityspacesegregationcombiningmobiledevicedataandcensusdata
AT jennashaw economicinequalityandthegeographyofactivityspacesegregationcombiningmobiledevicedataandcensusdata