Abstract: [Purposes]In response to the increasing separation of residential,workplace,and activity spaces in cities,this study investigates the spatial distribution and separation patterns of home-work-activity (H-W-A)locations of residents in Changsha,providing insights for optimizing urban spatial structure and transportation management.[Methods]Using large-scale mobile phone positioning data,an H-W-A identification framework was developed to extract residents' home,work,and major activity locations.Spatial separation indices were applied to analyze H-W-A patterns and variations across different socio-demographic groups.[Findings]Residential locations exhibit multi-center expansion,while workplaces and activity locations are highly concentrated in the city center.Suburban residents show significantly higher H-W-A separation,which increases in a ring-shaped pattern with distance from the city center.Travel behaviors vary markedly by gender,income,and age.[Conclusions]H-W-A spatial separation in Changsha displays pronounced heterogeneity and socio-demographic differences.Coordinated job-housing planning and optimized public services are recommended to reduce travel burdens and enhance urban efficiency．

Key words: urban spatial patterns, mobile phone positioning data, spatial separation characteristics, travel characteristics