Fig. 7: The random workplace and residence choice (RWRC) model.

a Schematic representation of the RWRC model. Individuals are shown as different coloured symbols. The first (green) individual selects the central cell as the workplace (star) and residence (pentagon), as shown in the upper-left panel. Subsequently, the second (red) and third (blue) individuals make their workplace (star) and residence (pentagon) selections in accordance with the criteria outlined in equation (2) and equation (3). The solid arrow represents one choice outcome, whereas the dashed arrow denotes an alternative potential outcome. b The values of anisotropy (upper panel) and centripetality (lower panel) were obtained from the RWRC model with different parameters α and β. The colour maps depict the mean value over 100 independent simulations. Each symbol represents a scenario with different values of α and β: (△) α = 1.2 and β = 2.8; (♢) α = 0.8 and β = 1.6; (□) α = 0.2 and β = 1.2. c–e Maps of population mobility vectors (PMVs) obtained from the simulation results of the above three scenarios. The length and colour of the arrow are proportional to the magnitude of the PMV. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.