Coordinated development between metropolitan areas and regional express rail: an empirical study in Paris and Tokyo

Coordinated development between metropolitan areas and regional express rail: an empirical study in Paris and Tokyo | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Coordinated development between metropolitan areas and regional express rail: an empirical study in Paris and Tokyo Ningyuan Fei, Tiefeng Chai, Xu Cui, Qian Zeng, Rui Gao, Qingsong He, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8720203/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Regional express rail can reshape metropolitan spatial structure by changing core–suburb accessibility and travel costs. Measuring the long-term co-evolution of rail and metropolitan systems, and the drivers of stage transitions, is crucial for TOD planning decisions. Using multi-source data for Paris (1937–2020) and Tokyo (1920–2020), we employ synergetics to model a composite system with a regional express rail subsystem and a metropolitan subsystem. We compute subsystem order and overall synergy, identify coordination stages, and compare them with historical periodization. Order parameters are measurable variables that drive changes in order and synergy. Candidates are derived from mechanism hypotheses and prior studies, and validated by correlation thresholds, robustness across model specifications, and cross-period consistency. Both cases show three coordination stages, but with different transition timing and drivers. In Paris, synergy increases mainly with network structure and connectivity, supported by social variables. Tokyo reaches high coordination earlier and remains more stable, driven by network structure and transport capacity together with social and economic variables. Ecological variables also contribute, but early data gaps limit their estimated effects. This study provides quantitative evidence for integrated regional express rail networks and spatial development decisions in metropolitan regions across countries. Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences Physical sciences/Mathematics and computing Physical sciences/Physics Urbanization Integration Public transportation Collaborative development Synergetics Transit-oriented development Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8720203","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":586726971,"identity":"5166ed2e-9def-4b40-85fd-9c24f96924c9","order_by":0,"name":"Ningyuan Fei","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Sichuan Provincial Architectural Design and Research Institute","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ningyuan","middleName":"","lastName":"Fei","suffix":""},{"id":586726974,"identity":"ecd615b4-f131-45d5-a36e-38e4ff22ce0c","order_by":1,"name":"Tiefeng 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Measuring the long-term co-evolution of rail and metropolitan systems, and the drivers of stage transitions, is crucial for TOD planning decisions. Using multi-source data for Paris (1937\u0026ndash;2020) and Tokyo (1920\u0026ndash;2020), we employ synergetics to model a composite system with a regional express rail subsystem and a metropolitan subsystem. We compute subsystem order and overall synergy, identify coordination stages, and compare them with historical periodization. Order parameters are measurable variables that drive changes in order and synergy. Candidates are derived from mechanism hypotheses and prior studies, and validated by correlation thresholds, robustness across model specifications, and cross-period consistency. Both cases show three coordination stages, but with different transition timing and drivers. In Paris, synergy increases mainly with network structure and connectivity, supported by social variables. Tokyo reaches high coordination earlier and remains more stable, driven by network structure and transport capacity together with social and economic variables. Ecological variables also contribute, but early data gaps limit their estimated effects. 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