Urban network analysis. A new toolbox for ArcGIS

Andres Sevtsuk, Michael Mekonnen

Abstract: This paper introduces an open-source Urban Network Analysis (UNA) toolbox for ArcGIS. The toolbox can be used to compute five types of network centrality measures on spatial networks: Reach; Gravity Index; Betweenness; Closeness; and Straightness. Though primarily developed for the analysis of urban street- and building-networks, the tools are equally suited for other spatial networks, such as railway networks, highway networks, or utility networks. Unlike previous network centrality tools that operate with two network elements (nodes and edges), the UNA tools include a third network element – buildings – that can be used as the spatial units of analysis for all measures. Two neighboring buildings on the same street segment can therefore obtain different accessibility results. The UNA tools also allow buildings to be weighted according to their particular characteristics – more voluminous, more populated, or otherwise more important buildings can be specified to have a proportionately stronger effect on the analysis outcomes, yielding more accurate and reliable results to any of the specified measures. The toolbox is built for easy scaling – it can operate on small-scale and detailed networks of dense urban areas, as well as large-scale regional networks. The toolbox requires ArcGIS 10 software with an ArcGIS Network Analyst Extension.