What Factors Revitalize the Street Vitality of Old Cities? A Case Study in Nanjing, China

Abstract

Urban street vitality has been a perennial focus within the domain of urban planning. This study examined spatial patterns of street vitality in the old city of Nanjing during working days and weekends using real-time user datasets (RTUDs). A spatial autoregressive model (SAM) and a multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) model were employed to quantitatively assess the impact of various factors on street vitality and their spatial heterogeneity. This study revealed the following: (1) the distribution of street vitality in the old city of Nanjing exhibited a structure centered around Xinjiekou, with greater regularity and predictability in street vitality on working days than on weekends; (2) eight variables, such as traffic location, road density, and functional density, are positively associated with street vitality, whereas the green view index is negatively associated with street vitality, and commercial location benefits street vitality at weekends but detracts from street vitality on working days; and (3) the influence of variables such as traffic location and functional density on street vitality is contingent on their spatial position. Based on these results, this study provides new strategies to enhance the street vitality of old cities.