An Investigation of Urban Gravity to Develop a Better Understanding of the Urbanization Phenomenon Using Centrality Analysis on GIS Platform

Abstract A city is a large and permanent human settlement which are usually associated with urban areas. An urban area has complex systems for several aspects such as sanitation, utilities, infrastructures, land use, building development, and transportation. These elements are the major factors which are characteristics of urban areas by the process of urbanization, which conducted an urban area to create its own attractiveness to attract urban activities to be settled in the same area. Urban gravity is subjected to study in order to understand an urban dynamic and development phenomena to assist urban planners in the decision making process. Urban gravity illustrates where urban activity has clustered through interpreting urban density intensification. The study has introduced the centrality tool analysis by using Gravity index in Urban Network Analysis (UNA) which runs on the Geographic Information System (GIS) platform. The urban area of Fukuoka city, Japan, has been the focus for the study according to the proposal of the study which aimed to investigate the gravity value in different types of building usage in Fukuoka city due to real estate development aspects such as public facilities, mixed usage, detached houses, and commercial buildings by illustrating appropriate areas with high potential in each building type. This is calculated by the interaction between building information and street networks. The study also aims to develop a better understanding of spatial configurations of cities, in term of urban spatial analysis.