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Measuring circular mobility: dimensions and issues

Martin Bell, University of Queensland
Dominic Brown, University of Queensland

In contrast with developing countries, the literature on temporary mobility in the developed world is fragmented and unsystematic. This paper endeavours to delineate, for the first time, a battery of measures and techniques that capture the multiple dimensions of temporary movement. Following a review of the problems in measuring population mobility the paper identifies nine discrete dimensions of population movement, each of which describe a particular facet of the phenomenon. These are: (i) movement intensity (ii) duration of stay (iii) frequency of movement (iv) seasonality (v) periodicity (vi) movement distance (vii) spatial connectivity (viii) spatial circuits and (ix) spatial impact. Each dimension is first defined and its significance in the study of temporary mobility explored. Measures that might be used for each dimension are then examined and their application illustrated using data from the Australian Census of Population and Housing and the National Visitor Survey.

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Presented in Session 168: Circulation and suburbanization