Exploring the Association of Spatial Capital and Economic Diversity in the Tourist City of Surat Thani, Thailand

Abstract

Diversity in economic activity can be found at different spatial scales in cities’ urban morphology. Spatial capital is defined as the area’s physical appearance, which is important for enhancing economic activities in urban areas. It addresses how urban form, as a result of urban design, influences urban life—that is, how it supports and creates the potential for variations of urbanity and spatial diversity. The aims of this study are (i) to measure the economic diversity based on Simpson’s diversity index by using points of interest (POI) data, which can reflect economic activity functions in the tourist city of Surat Thani, which is mainly used as a jumping off point for land travel to other islands off the east coast of Thailand; (ii) to explore the space syntax to measure the values of urban morphology by integrations with DepthMapX Software; and (iii) to investigate the relationship between measures of the degree of spatial morphology configuration and patterns of spatial diversity of economic activities using the Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The study found that measuring the values of urban morphology can generate variations in spatial accessibility that are positively related to the variety of economic diversity, especially in terms of the availability of convenience stores, shops, and bank branches. This research is beneficial to planners in identifying important economic areas of the city, whose complex spatial interactions between commerce and urban morphology influence the current demand for economic space.