在臺灣人口成長持續趨緩的情況下，都市人口比例卻大幅度上升，代表社會面臨著城鄉差距、資源分配不均等問題。本研究以臺灣北中南三個主要都會區為研究範圍，利用2000到2017年全臺各村里單一年齡人口數統計資料，透過計算每個都會區的平均中心點，了解都會人口平均重心的時空變化，並且利用城鄉梯度分析、全域空間自相關分析以及遷移人口年齡層分析了解都會區人口變遷。
研究結果顯示，三個都會區人口平均重心位移方向皆不同，臺北都會區主要是往北移動、臺中都會區往南移動，高雄都會區則是往東北方移動；在城鄉梯度分析方面，臺北都會區擴張並不明顯，臺中及高雄都會區皆有擴張現象，臺北都會區人口增加主要以郊區為主，臺中都會區擴張範圍則是在核心區及核心區外圍，高雄都會區擴張範圍則是在核心區外圍；Moran’s I分析結果顯示只有臺中都會區人口往高密度地區移動，臺北及高雄都會區人口則是往低密度地區移動；在遷移方面，以年齡層15-59歲分析，臺北都會區主要移入人口在郊區、臺中都會區則是在核心區與核心區外圍、高雄都會區則是在核心區外圍；移出人口的部分，臺北都會區核心區及核心區外圍皆是遷出的狀態、臺中都會區則是在郊區、高雄都會區的則是在核心區及郊區。整體而言，臺北都會區往低密度且郊區化發展，臺中都會區呈現都市化緊密且擴張發展，高雄都會區則呈現往低密度且核心區外圍發展。
While the population growth of Taiwan continues to decrease, urban population increases rapidly. This means Taiwan is facing problems that are rural-urban divide and resource distribution disparity. The study analyzed the village population by year of age datasets from 2000 to 2017 in the three main metropolitan areas, including Taipei city, Taichung city and Kaohsiung city in Taiwan. Through calculating the mean center of each metropolitan area, the temporal and spatial movements of the mean center were found to show the overall movement of the city. To understand the demographic change and city development, urban-rural gradient analysis, Global Moran's I, and migrant population age analysis were conducted
The results showed that the average mean center of population in the three metropolitan areas shifted toward different directions and movement speed. Taipei city mainly shifted to the north, Taichung city shifted to the south, and Kaohsiung city shifted to northeast. In urban-rural gradient analysis, the sprawl of Taipei was insignificant, while it was compared with Taichung city and Kaohsiung city. Population grew in suburbs of Taipei city. The core and areas around the core in Taichung city exhibits sprawl. Kaohsiung city exhibits sprawl in the areas around the core. Moran’s I analysis showed that only population in Taichung showed compact and moved to high density areas, while population in Taipei and Kaohsiung moved to lower density areas. The study analyzed migrants by the year of age from 15 to 59. Immigration population in Taipei city moved into the suburbs. But the immigration population in Taichung moved into the core and the areas around it. And that in Kaohsiung only moved into the areas around the core. For the distribution of emigration population, they appeared in the core and the areas around it in Taipei, in suburbs in Taichung, and in core and suburbs in Kaohsiung. In conclusion, the population in Taipei migrated to lower density areas and the city was suburbanizing; Taichung showed the compactness of urbanization and it’s population was sprawling; and the population of Kaohsiung was migrating to lower density areas and around the core.
