Centricity and multi-locality of activity spaces: The varying ways young and old adults use neighborhoods and extra-neighborhood spaces in Helsinki Metropolitan Area

Abstract Measures of individual mobility, such as activity space, can help improve our understanding of people's interactions with their everyday environments. Activity spaces are, however, not only concentrated around homes but also people can form several clusters of destinations, typically around their daily life centers. This has previously been discussed under terms such as spatial polygamy, centricity, and multi-locality, but empirical evidence of such multi-centered mobility behaviors and their implications for individuals and planning have remained limited. To fill this gap, this study employs a novel measure of activity space, centricity, to study the mobility behaviors of individuals in two age groups of younger and older adults in Helsinki metropolitan area, Finland. This study explores the relevance of multi-centered mobility behavior in the two age groups and identifies its personal and environmental associates i.e., associations with socio-economic background and urban structural characteristics. Additionally, this study examines the associations of different types of multi-local travel behaviors with individuals' choice of travel modes and perceived health and quality of life. The results show significant differences between the two groups in both frequency and associates of various multi-local travel behaviors. This paper presents these findings and discusses their implications for planning and future research.