Sustainability, Vol. 11, Pages 1658: Spatial Correlation of Formats in the Central Districts of a Megacity: The Case of Shanghai (Sustainability)

A “format” is an essential component of a city’s central districts and reflects their economic characteristics. In the urban context, individual formats relate to and mutually influence each other. Using data from two central districts in Shanghai—People’s Square and Lujiazui—and a case study approach, we investigated the mutual influences and relations among formats in these districts. We collected and categorized data on formats and assessed the degree of format aggregation. We also identified and described three different types of spatial relationships that may exist among formats: Strong two-way correlations, strong one-way correlations, and weak two-way correlations. These spatial relationships reflect the spatial distribution structure in an urban central district, embodying the systemicity and integrity of formats. The relationships we found have significance for future research on spatial relationships in other urban central districts.