Diversity and Influencing Factors of Public Service Facilities in Urban (Suburban) Railway Life Circle—Evidence from Beijing Subway Line S1, China

The urban (suburban) railway is a fast and convenient rail transit system connecting urban and suburban areas, and a refined analysis of the diversity of public service facilities around its stations can help to promote the intensive use of land around rail stations. However, the differences in the diversity of public service facilities in the railway life circle between urban and suburban railway stations and the factors affecting them are not clear. This paper takes the Beijing Suburban Railway Line Sub-center (Line S1) as a case study, uses the Shannon-Wiener index to measure the spatial diversity characteristics of public service facilities, and utilizes a multi-scale geographically weighted regression model to explore the influencing factors. The findings indicate that: (1) Centered on the stations, all six stations show a “less-more-less” ring or half-ring to the left distribution structure of the comprehensive diversity index of public service facilities within their study areas, with an increase followed by a decrease. (2) The influence of each influencing factor on the diversity of market-featured facilities exhibits significant differences. The most substantial spatial heterogeneity is observed in the distances to the nearest subway stations and bus stops. Distances to subway and urban (suburban) railway stations exhibit different spatial distribution characteristics within urban and suburban areas on Line S1. In urban areas, the closer the distance to the subway station or the further the distance to the railway station, the greater the diversity of public service facilities. Conversely, in suburban areas, the opposite is true. The conclusions of this research provide a scientific methodology and improvement measures to facilitate the construction of railway life circles in suburban regions of megacities.