Understanding the regional dynamics and determinants of urban cultural facilities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China

Ensuring fair distribution of Urban Cultural Facilities (UCFs) is crucial for achieving urban equity, but research from a regional perspective is relatively scarce. This study employs Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) and GeoDetector techniques to systematically examine the spatiotemporal dynamics and influencing factors of UCFs across the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) by using data collected from multiple sources. Results indicate that: (1) UCFs, including both Non-profit Urban Cultural Facilities (NPUCFs) and Profitable Urban Cultural Facilities (PUCFs), show considerable spatial variation and clustering. NPUCFs exhibit stronger global clustering, while PUCFs demonstrate higher local clustering in several cities (i.e., municipalities, provincial capitals, and the Yangtze River Delta region). (2) Policy support and population demand are major factors influencing the spatiotemporal dynamics of UCFs, with important variables being population size, urban hierarchy status, and education spending in the public budget. The interactions among these variables further strengthen their effects. (3) Mapping the P-value of key factors shows significant spatial differentiation, particularly between upstream and downstream areas, with UCFs and NPUCFs decreasing from southwest to northeast, while PUCFs show no significant trend. We recommend optimizing cultural facility resources by increasing PUCFs in major cities and boosting investments in NPUCFs in smaller cities, while also addressing key factors like policy support and their interactions.