An Investigation of the relationship between road types and spatial patterns in the distribution of commercial activities in Kottawa, Sri Lanka

Abstract

The transportation network profoundly influences the location of commercial activities. The study aims to identify the spatial distribution of commercial activities in the Sri Lankan context. This study examines which road types (A, B, C, D & E class) correlate with specific commercial activities and how commercial activities are distributed in Sri Lanka. Kottawa, a Sri Lankan transportation hub, was the case study. Point of interest (POI) (Big Data) and road network data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient. The results show that A class roads show significant correlations with auto services (0.810), food and catering (0.707), medicine and healthcare (0.814), textile (0.226), and recreation activities (0.715). B class roads are correlated with finance (0.266) and retail activities (0.281). Recreation activities correlate positively with C class roads but negatively with auto services. Food and catering correlate positively with D and E class roads but negatively with recreation. Urban planners and policymakers can use these findings to guide the organic growth of commercial hubs.