Research on the Variable Factors Influencing the Vitality of Commercial Districts Based on the SOR Theory Model

The development of contemporary commercial districts has profoundly influenced the high-quality growth of urban space, social vitality, and public well-being. Based on the SOR (stimulus–organism–response) theoretical model, this study integrates methods including space syntax analysis, POI diversity measurement, streetscape semantic segmentation, and kernel density estimation. It treats spatial morphology variables of commercial districts as stimulus factors, individual behavioral and perceptual responses as the organism, and commercial vitality as the final response, thereby constructing a mechanism model for understanding vitality in urban commercial areas. Using three representative commercial districts in China as case studies, this research conducts a multi-source data integration analysis. The findings reveal that cultural and historical significance, spatial openness, and the density of functional formats exert significant positive impacts on people’s behavior, perception, and sense of comfort. Other variable factors also contribute to varying degrees. The results provide both theoretical insights and practical guidance for the renewal and design optimization of commercial districts. Future studies are encouraged to expand the spatial and temporal scope of analysis and incorporate dynamic behavioral data to more comprehensively uncover the mechanisms driving the evolution of commercial district vitality.