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Knowledge about the relationship between the spatial organisation of personal social networks and physical mobility is important for understanding spatial problems and social inequalities that are inseparable from spatial and social structures. To provide further insights into these relationships, this study investigates the link between the spatial distribution of individuals’ social networks and spatial mobility. We collected data from a group of ‘highly skilled’ individuals with a smartphone application and combined quantitative surveys. In general, individuals with dispersed networks tend to have more spatial mobility. Our typological approach reveals three distinctive types: (A) dispersed networks and high mobility, (B) dispersed networks and low mobility, and (C) concentrated networks and low mobility. This typology is explained by gender, the composition of the network, and the use of mobile phones and social media.

Event tourism is a rapidly growing phenomenon. Increasing numbers of events are being attended by international travellers. In this paper, we use mobile positioning data (call detail records (CDR)) to focus on visits made to Estonia over the period 2006–2013. The aim is to compare the characteristics of visits to megastar concerts with visits to other events (entertainment events, festivals, and sporting events) and regular visits. The dataset consists of 853,013 visits by 497,038 visitors. The results show a correlation between the distance travelled by an individual and the likelihood of attending a megastar concert. Visitors to megastar concerts are more likely to come from neighbouring countries and to spend less time in a destination than visitors to other events or regular visitors. The geography of visits to megastar concerts differs from that of other types of visits; on average, visitors to megastar concerts travel less within Estonia than other groups of visitors. These results indicate that the hosting of this type of event helps to diversify the supply of tourism in Estonia. It is also clear that mobile positioning data are a valuable source in studies of event tourism.

This study is a contribution to the discussion on the ethnic segregation cycle, through the examination of individuals’ activity spaces—including residence and workplace—and from the perspective of social networks. Bridging social ties can be a key factor in higher minority inclusion and in breaking the vicious circle of segregation. We compare the spatial behaviour of two ethno-linguistic population groups living in Tallinn, Estonia’s capital city (Estonian-speaking majority and Russian-speaking minority), each of which have co- and interethnic social networks, through the use of mobile positioning (call detail records) and call-graph data. Among our main findings, we show firstly that interethnic social networks are more common for the Russian-speaking minority population. The probability of having an interethnic network is related to the ethno-linguistic composition of the residential district concerned; districts with a higher proportion of residents from another ethnic group tend to favour interethnic networks more. Secondly, the activity space is related to the ethno-linguistic composition of the social networks. Spatial behaviour is most expansive for Estonian speakers with co-ethnic networks, and most constrained for Russian speakers with co-ethnic networks. At the same time, speakers of Estonian and Russian with interethnic networks show rather similar spatial behaviours: They tend to visit more districts where the proportion of people from the other ethno-linguistic group is higher. Interethnic networks are therefore related to spatial behaviour, which can indicate interethnic meeting points and locations, something that is regarded as being important in assimilation and segregation cycle theories.

Funding: We are also very grateful to the Estonian Research Agency, who has provided financial support to the five-year PRG306 project “Understanding the Vicious Circles of Segregation. A Geographic Perspective” (for more see www.segregationcircles.eu), as well as to the support of the Infotechnological Mobility Observatory (www.imo.ut.ee/en) and the EU Horizon project “UpLift (www.uplift-youth.eu). A paradigm shift is taking place in spatial segregation research. At the heart of this shift is the understanding of the connectedness of spatial segregation in different life domains and the availability of new datasets that allow for more detailed studies on these connections. In this thematic issue on spatial underpinnings of social inequalities we will outline the foundations of the ‘vicious circles of segregation’ framework to shed new light on questions such as: What is the role of residential neighbourhoods in urban inequalities in contemporary cities? Have residential neighbourhoods lost their importance in structuring daily lives since important part of social interaction takes place elsewhere? How is residential segregation related to inequalities in other important life domains, in schools, at work and during leisure time? The vicious circles of segregation framework builds on the traditional approaches to spatial segregation, as well as on the emerging new research undertaken within the ‘activity space approach’ and ‘longitudinal approach’ to segregation. The articles in this thematic issue improve our understanding of how spatial segregation is transmitted from one life domain to another as people sort into residential neighbourhoods, schools, workplace and leisure time activity sites, and gain contextual effects by getting exposed to and interacting with other people in them. Publisher PDF

The extent to which ethnic segregation results from differences in socio-economic factors remains a seminal topic of debate. The growing literature demonstrating the multifaceted phenomenon of segregation urges more focus on individuals' spatial and social interactions. We applied an activity space approach and considered ethnic differences in individuals' activity spaces as an indicator of spatial segregation. We used mobile phone and survey datasets in Estonia. We show that place-based segregation indices derived from both datasets indicate similar levels of ethnic segregation. From an activity space perspective, the results show that the main socio-economic factor affecting the extensity of activity spaces is self-estimated social status rather than education and income. Results show that ethnic inequality in spatial behaviour is not straightforward, but rather that it is linked to how individuals position themselves in society. We argue that socio-economic factors need to be controlled to examine ethnic segregation from activity space perspective.

People move for various purposes and lengths of time. Temporary mobilities across borders have become increasingly important but are difficult to observe. In considering temporary population mobili...

Global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic affect both the functioning of our societies and the daily lives of people. Yet the impact of the crisis and its mitigation measures have exerted disproportionate influence on different population groups. In March – May 2020, COVID-19 mitigation measures such as closures of national borders affected transnational people who cross borders frequently for work, shopping, services, family reasons and socialising. We have examined the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the daily lives of transnational Estonians residing in Finland, based on a unique longitudinal smartphone tracking survey. Findings show that besides a drastic but expected decrease in trans-nationals’ spatial mobility, the pandemic has especially affected their cross-border mobility patterns to and time spent in Estonia. Interestingly, during the lockdown, some transnationals decided to stay not in their primary home in Finland, but in Estonia. Mobile phone communication activity followed moderately the downward trend of spatial mobility, but the crisis changed the division of communication partners by country: Finnish contacts diminished, whereas Estonian partners remained active. We reflect on our findings for future research and discuss the applicability of the smart-phone tracking approach for capturing the socio-spatial interactions of transnational people.

Relationships between individuals and their social networks have a significant influence on spatial mobility and transportation needs. This article focuses on networks of calling partners using mobile phones and spatial mobility in Estonia. Mobile phone call graphs and call detail record (CDR) data have been used for this study. Our investigation indicates that the larger one’s network of calling partners using mobile phones and the larger the geographic area within which the calling partners live, the more an individual moves around. The connection between the network of mobile calling partners and spatial mobility is most influenced by gender. Used in this way, mobile phone data can be seen to allow studies to be undertaken of the connection between mobile communication networks and spatial mobility.

Both assimilation theory and common sense suggest that the longer the immigrants reside in a host society, the more they become integrated. However, studies conducted in many countries show the opp...

Due to the ongoing increase in daily mobility, reductions in border controls, and new trends in tourism, it is important to find new ways to record comprehensively the growing number of tourists. This paper describes a method of extracting cross-border statistics on tourism from roaming call activities found within passive mobile positioning data. Eesti Pank (the central bank of Estonia) has been using these data and methodology since 2008 to calculate the national balance of payments and publish tourism statistics. Statistics obtained from mobile positioning data are herein compared with statistics on accommodation. Results indicate that positioning data enables the generation of detailed statistics on tourism, and for inbound visits, there is a strong correlation with official statistics on accommodation.

This article focuses on generational differences in spatial mobility. Assuming that the ability to cope with the social transformations related to growing mobility varies significantly across generations, we use mobile positioning data collected in Estonia during 2014 providing four main indicators, namely, the number of locations visited and the distances between visited locations, within Estonia and abroad. The results indicate that spatial mobility declines linearly with age; however, a high degree of heterogeneity exists within age groups. Whereas the spatial mobility of the most active members of the younger generation takes place mostly within Estonia, among the most active older generation focus their activity beyond its borders. The study reveals “delayed mobility” patterns among the most active groups of the older generation and a new “immobility culture” among the younger generation in terms of cross‐border activities in a transition society.

This article focuses on generational differences in spatial mobility. Assuming that the ability to cope with the social transformations related to growing mobility varies significantly across generations, we use mobile positioning data collected in Estonia during 2014 providing four main indicators, namely, the number of locations visited and the distances between visited locations, within Estonia and abroad. The results indicate that spatial mobility declines linearly with age; however, a high degree of heterogeneity exists within age groups. Whereas the spatial mobility of the most active members of the younger generation takes place mostly within Estonia, among the most active older generation focus their activity beyond its borders. The study reveals "delayed mobility" patterns among the most active groups of the older generation and a new "immobility culture" among the younger generation in terms of cross-border activities in a transition society.

This paper analyzes ethnic segregation across the whole activity space—at place of residence, place of work, and during free-time. We focus on interethnic meeting potential during free-time, measured as copresence, and its relationship to copresence at place of residence and work. The study is based on cellphone data for a medium-sized linguistically divided European city (Tallinn, Estonia), where the Estonian majority and mainly Russian-speaking minority populations are of roughly equal size. The results show that both places of residence and work are segregated, while other activities occur in a far more integrated environment. Copresence during free-time is positively associated with copresence at place of residence and work, however, the relationship is very weak.