This paper explores the community structure of a network
of significant locations in cities as observed from location-based social
network data. We present the findings of this analysis at multiple spatial
scales. While there is previously observed distinct spatial structure at
inter-city level, in a form of catchment areas and functional regions,
the exploration of in-city scales provides novel insights. We present the
evidence that particular areas in cities stratify into distinct “habitats”
of frequently visited locations, featuring both spatially overlapping and
disjoint regions. We then quantify this stratification with normalized
mutual information which shows different stratification levels for different
cities. Our findings have important implications for advancing models
of human mobility, studying social exclusion and segregation processes
in cities, and are also of interest for geomarketing analysts developing
fidelity schemes and promotional programmes
