Spatial Behavior Research: Perspectives and Technical Paradigms

Abstract Behavior research often involves disciplines of management, psychology, economics, and many others, with a focus on the aspects of agent, social context, and economic condition that shape behavioral patterns. Spatial behavior research, grounded in geography, urban-rural planning, and architecture, focuses more on behaviors related to space utilization for diverse objectives, providing a new perspective to elaborate the formation of urban spaces. From the angle of urban-rural planning, this paper summarizes different perspectives and technical paradigms in spatial behavior research and outlines potential development directions in this field. By categorizing the subjects of spatial behavior research into the four dimensions of behavioral ontology, behavioral agent, behavioral space, and behavioral time, it elaborates the summary of two research perspectives, i.e., static versus dynamic behaviors and active versus passive spaces, and three technical paradigms that are deepening on each other yet distinct from each other, i.e., behavioral description, behavioral analysis, and behavioral simulation. Given the ever-changing nature of behavior and space, the paper finally proposes that spatial behavior research should advance in tandem with contemporary challenges.