Spatial Disparities in a Historic Commercial District: Linking Accessibility, Spatial Vitality, and User Perceptions

Historic commercial districts sustain urban memory and public life, yet variations in their spatial conditions and user experiences present challenges for renewal. However, existing studies often examine accessibility, spatial vitality, and user perceptions separately, with limited quantitative integration of objective and subjective evidence. Taking Dehua Pedestrian Commercial Street in Zhengzhou, China, as a case study, this study investigates spatial variations and the relationships among these three dimensions within an integrated analytical framework. A multi-source approach combines space syntax analysis, POI kernel density analysis, street-view image semantic segmentation, and social media sentiment analysis to characterize spatial structure, functional activity, and user experience. The results reveal distinct spatial variations within the district, including uneven public service provision, limited accessibility in peripheral areas, and low greenery coverage. Pearson correlation analysis indicates positive associations among the three dimensions, with the strongest association between accessibility and spatial vitality (r = 0.65). User evaluations are generally positive, although concerns remain regarding greening, traffic congestion, and spatial openness. Overall, these findings demonstrate the interrelationships among accessibility, spatial vitality, and user perceptions and highlight the value of integrating objective and subjective evidence to identify spatial shortcomings and inform targeted renewal strategies for historic commercial districts.