Work

Spatio-Temporal Patterns and Driving Mechanisms of New Public Cultural Facilities in Central China: A Case Study of Urban Reading Rooms in the Central Urban Area of Luoyang

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Against the background of urban stock renewal, new public cultural facilities are important carriers for improving the public cultural service system, and their spatial configuration is closely related to the equity and efficiency of public cultural resource allocation. The spatio-temporal distribution patterns of public cultural facilities and the factors influencing them have important implications for optimizing the allocation of public cultural facilities and advancing the equalization and sustainable development of public cultural services. Using urban reading rooms (URRs) in Luoyang’s central urban area as a case study, this study employed kernel density estimation, standard deviational ellipse analysis, exploratory space–time data analysis (ESTDA), and the Optimal Parameters-based Geographical Detector (OPGD) to systematically reveal the evolutionary characteristics of their spatio-temporal patterns and driving mechanisms. The results show that (1) the agglomeration pattern evolved from “two primary cores, four secondary cores, and multiple nodes” to “one primary core, one secondary core, and multiple nodes,” and finally to “one primary core and multiple nodes.” The spatial extent first contracted and then expanded, the overall distribution exhibited a northeast–southwest orientation, and the center of gravity shifted from the northeast to the southwest and then to the southeast. (2) The spatial distribution of URRs exhibited significant positive spatial autocorrelation, although the strength of positive spatial autocorrelation gradually weakened. High–high clusters showed a contracting trend, whereas low–high spatial outliers showed an expanding trend and were the most numerous. (3) A total of 79.74% of the grid cells exhibited relatively stable local spatial patterns; the directions of local spatial dependence exhibited pronounced spatial volatility; and 81.39% of the grid cells showed coordinated growth, indicating a high degree of spatial integration. The spatio-temporal mobility and cohesion coefficients indicated that the local spatial association structure of URRs exhibited strong stability and path dependence. (4) Public service facilities, bus stops, shopping facilities, food and beverage facilities, and population are the major factors influencing the spatial distribution of URRs. The vast majority of interactions among the influencing factors exhibit bivariate enhancement or nonlinear enhancement, indicating that the spatial distribution of URRs is characterized by pronounced multi-factor coupled driving effects. (5) The spatio-temporal pattern evolution of URRs results from the combined effects of multiple factors. Road and transport factors enhance connectivity, educational resources exert an attracting effect, socioeconomic factors provide support, public cultural resource factors produce synergistic effects, and everyday service factors play a dominant role. Together, these five categories of factors form a coupled driving mechanism involving multiple factors: connectivity–attraction–support–synergy–dominance. The findings provide a scientific basis for optimizing the spatial configuration of new public cultural facilities and promoting the equalization and sustainable provision of public cultural services in the context of urban renewal.

Source: Sustainability

DOI: 10.3390/su182010491

Authors: Fengbao Liu, Qiuyue Liang, Siqi Yu

Institutions: Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Anhui Jianzhu University, Nanjing Forestry University

Language: English

Topic: Library Science and Administration

Subfield: Library and Information Sciences

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896