All-age-friendly community commercial spaces: analyzing consumption demands and scenario planning in neighbourhood centres
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Against the backdrop of global commercial transformation and digital development, adapting community commerce to all-age needs has become a key urban development issue. This study examines four neighbourhood centres in Suzhou Industrial Park, the earliest practice of Singapore’s model in China. Based on scene theory, a “demand-scene-space” analytical framework is developed. Employing the Kano-BW-R composite model, a method combining Kano classification, Better – Worse mapping, and demand sensitivity (R value) to achieve both demand type identification and prioritisation, this study systematically identifies structural differences in demand attributes across consumer group combinations. Based on this, five community commercial consumption scenarios were constructed: social experience, parent-child interaction, multi-generational integration, companionship and care, and wellness & socialisation, and planning strategies were proposed from three dimensions: business formats, space and services. Key findings include: (1) generational demand differences drive functional diversification; (2) basic functions underpin the public nature of community commercial spaces; (3) intergenerational factors reshape spatial demand structures; (4) commercial-public service synergy sustains scene vitality. This study clarifies the coupling among physical facilities, behavioural practices, and cultural meanings, emphasizes an inclusive consumption theory system for all ages, and offers practical pathways for all-age-friendly community commercial spaces, providing theoretical and practical references for optimal design.
Institution: Soochow University
Language: English
Subfield: Conservation
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,165
OpenAlex ID: W7172257393