Ageing–heritage spatial mismatch across ten Chinese historic cities: A spatial analysis of walking accessibility under mobility constraints

Abstract Protected heritage is fixed in place, but population ageing is spatially uneven. In historic cities, this raises a practical question: whether older residents can reach protected cultural resources on foot from where they live. We examine this spatial mismatch across ten Chinese historic-city jurisdictions by combining gridded estimates of the population aged 65 and over with nationally protected heritage locations and pedestrian networks. Population-weighted accessibility is estimated under different walking-time and speed scenarios, while spatial mismatch is measured as the exposure of high-concentration older-population areas to heritage access deficits. Heritage abundance does not necessarily translate into good pedestrian access for older residents. At a 30-minute threshold and a walking speed of 0.9 m/s, median population-weighted access is 11.1%, while median deficit exposure in high-concentration older-population areas reaches 71.0%. These patterns remain stable across alternative grid resolutions and network treatments. Heritage supply alone therefore provides an incomplete picture of age-friendly cultural access.The approach offers a policy-relevant spatial screening framework for identifying priority areas where more detailed route, public-space and site-level accessibility assessment is warranted.The estimates describe potential access rather than actual visits.