Spatial Patterns and Influence Factors of Urban Vitality Based on Multisource Data and MGWR Model: A Case Study of China’s Coastal Regions

Urban vitality is a critical metric for measuring the quality of sustainable development and overall competitiveness, serving as the core kinetic energy for urban survival and growth. As a key link for land–sea resource coordination and internal–external economic circulation, the urban vitality of China’s coastal regions is of great significance for promoting regional coordinated development. Focusing on 130 cities in China’s coastal regions, this study constructs an evaluation system encompassing five dimensions: economy, society, culture, environment, and population. Utilizing the AHP–entropy combined weighting method, the urban vitality index (UVI) for 2023 is calculated based on a scientific measurement of each dimension’s vitality level. Additionally, spatial autocorrelation and the multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) model are employed to examine the spatial evolution patterns and multidimensional driving mechanisms in depth. The results indicate the following: (1) Coastal regions exhibit significant spatial heterogeneity in vitality, characterized by a distinct south–north gradient (high in the south and low in the north). Geographically, the distribution of overall vitality is highly uneven: high-value clusters are concentrated in southern coastal urban agglomerations—notably the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta—whereas northern coastal areas, with the exception of the Shandong Peninsula, generally demonstrate relatively low vitality levels. Administrative rank has a significant effect on vitality agglomeration; the average vitality of provincial capitals and above is approximately four times that of other cities. (2) Environmental vitality performs best but shows significant spatial polarization. High-value areas for economic and population vitality are concentrated in the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Shandong Peninsula urban agglomerations, while social and cultural vitality only stand out in megacities such as Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. (3) Urban vitality exhibits strong spatial correlation and path dependence. Coastal urban vitality shows a significant positive spatial autocorrelation, with H-H (high–high) clusters primarily concentrated in the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta, indicating a high degree of spatial aggregation and regional synergy in urban vitality. Conversely, L-L (low–low) “depressed cities” are distributed in contiguous blocks in the north and peripheral areas, indicating that regional collaborative driving forces need to be further strengthened. (4) Multifactor driving mechanisms show obvious spatial heterogeneity and scale effects. The MGWR model results reveal that the medical insurance coverage rate, human capital level, and annual average PM 2.5 concentration are the dominant factors driving coastal urban vitality. Their influence intensity shows significant north–south differences across geographical locations, and the contribution of nonspatial factors is overall higher than that of traditional built environment factors. These findings provide a scientific reference for formulating precise and differentiated regional vitality enhancement strategies, optimizing coastal resource allocation, and promoting high-quality land–sea coordinated development.