The Digital Press

Cities optimize travel routes in ways that consistently relate to population distribution and their urban centers, revealing fundamental patterns in city design.

Why it matters: Understanding urban travel patterns helps improve city planning and transportation efficiency.

The big picture: Population density and route optimization converge around the urban center, shaping city structures.

Stunning stat: Travel route distributions across 60 major US cities follow Weibull functions, indicating a universal pattern.

Quick takeaway: Car journey patterns and population models together reveal a new fundamental urban law centered on city cores.