Spatial and Temporal Pattern Characteristics and Influence Mechanisms of Urban Vitality: A Qualitative Empirical Study of Changchun City, China

Urban vitality is an important indicator that reflects the quality of urban operations. How does the spatial and temporal pattern of urban vitality evolve? As an important part of urban planning, how do urban land use and service facility layout impact urban vitality? How can the level of urban vitality be improved through the planning adjustment of urban land and service facilities? The aforementioned questions have become interesting research topics. This study takes Changchun City, China, as an example, integrating multisource spatial data to analyze the spatial agglomeration and spatial and temporal characteristics of urban vitality. To achieve this, ordinary least squares and geographical weighted regression spatial econometric models were applied to analyze the influence mechanism of urban land, service facilities, and transportation facilities on urban vitality. The main finding is that Changchun’s urban vitality fluctuates significantly within a 24-h period, showing significant spatial agglomeration characteristics. A regression analysis shows that the urban core’s intensive and diversified land-use pattern and the density of service facility outlets and bus stops all support the typical urban spatial structure of monocentric agglomeration. In relative terms, the impact of urban land structure on urban vitality is the most significant. Furthermore, the increase in land density and the land mixing level in traditional old urban areas and large industrial zones can significantly enhance urban vitality. The densification and diversification of commercial service outlets in various new districts have had a significant effect on the enhancement of urban vitality. In addition, the enhancement of land density on roads can relieve pressure on commuter traffic and thus enhance urban vitality. Finally, the areas in which the impact of public transportation stops on urban vitality is more obvious are mainly distributed in the peripheral new districts.