Time geography

Time geography is a framework for analyzing how people’s activities and movements unfold across space and time. It emphasizes constraints that shape which sequences of places and activities are possible.

Space-time path: A representation of an individual's movement through space as time passes. Time geography traces activity as paths through a combined space-time setting.
Time geography notation: A system of diagrams and symbols for representing paths, stations, prisms, and constraints in time geography. Its visual conventions make temporal and spatial limits comparable.
Transport geography: The study of transportation systems, mobility, and their spatial effects. Time geography connects transport conditions to the activities people can reach.
Torsten Hägerstrand: A Swedish geographer who developed time geography and advanced quantitative geography. His research established the framework’s core concepts and diagrams.
Euclidean distance: The straight-line distance between two points in a geometric space. Equal geometric distances can require very different travel times and schedules.
Space-time prism: The set of locations an individual can reach between fixed places and times, given travel speed. Prisms represent the locations and activities feasible between commitments.
Time budget: The finite amount of time available for activities within a specified period. Travel and scheduled obligations consume the time available for other activities.
Accessibility: The ease with which people can reach destinations, services, or opportunities. Feasible paths provide a way to examine practical access beyond straight-line distance.
Lund School of Geography: A group of geographers associated with Lund University and influential in quantitative and human geography. Hägerstrand developed time geography within this research community.
Spatial interaction model: A quantitative model of flows between places based on factors such as distance and opportunity. Aggregate flows can obscure the individual constraints represented by time geography.

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Modal shareRelated: Time budgets and schedules constrain which modes can serve a trip.