Wu Sufeng1,Wu Kehan1,Wang Rui1, Xu Tiandong2, 3
(1.China Academy of Urban Planning & Design, Beijing 100037, China; 2.Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai 201306, China; 3.University of Florida, Gainesville Florida 32611-5706, US)

Abstract： Researches on the relationship between urban scale and traffic congestion are mainly based on empirical study but ignore the mechanism behind it. This paper discusses the relationship between urban scale and traffic congestion using the scaling laws in complex system theory. The results show that the larger the city is, the easier congestion happens; the larger the city is, the higher it outputs. The use of scaling laws can enhance the understanding of the city and propose rational management measures, including: 1) city scale should be coordinated with traffic capacity; 2) the level of traffic congestion in cities with different scales cannot be compared directly; 3) people who enjoy convenience in big cities need to pay more traffic costs. The results show that the scaling laws can effectively explain the imbalance between traffic supply and demand and provide theoretical support for urban transportation planning and traffic management.

Keywords： urban transportation; traffic congestion; scaling laws