  With the rise of geospatial big data, new narratives of cities based on
spatial networks and flows have replaced the traditional focus on locations.
While plenty of research have empirically analyzed network structures, there
lacks a state-of-the-art synthesis of applicable insights and methods of
spatial networks in the planning context. In this chapter, we reviewed the
theories, concepts, methods, and applications of spatial network analysis in
cities and their insights for planners from four areas of concern: spatial
structures, urban infrastructure optimizations, indications of economic wealth,
social capital, and residential mobility, and public health control (especially
COVID-19). We also outlined four challenges that planners face when taking the
planning knowledge from spatial networks to actions: data openness and privacy,
linkage to direct policy implications, lack of civic engagement, and the
difficulty to visualize and integrate with GIS. Finally, we envisioned how
spatial networks can be integrated into a collaborative planning framework.
