Spatial Disparities in Livability across Chinese Urban Agglomerations:An Infrastructure and Public Service Perspective

Urban agglomerations function as integrated spatial systems in which infrastructure provision and public services jointly shape urban livability outcomes. While existing studies largely focus on individual cities, empirical evidence at the urban agglomeration scale remains limited. Addressing this gap, this study examines disparities in livability across major Chinese urban agglomerations from an integrated infrastructure and public service perspective.

Using multi-source statistical data covering multiple urban agglomerations in China, a comprehensive indicator system is constructed to capture transportation infrastructure, public green spaces, cultural facilities, and public service provision. Principal component analysis (PCA) and factor analysis are employed to extract key dimensions influencing livability, followed by cluster analysis to classify urban agglomerations based on their infrastructure structure and livability performance.

The results reveal pronounced heterogeneity in the capacity of infrastructure to support livability across urban agglomerations. Transportation infrastructure, measured by road network length, exerts a stronger influence on livability in rapidly expanding and spatially dispersed agglomerations, whereas public green spaces, cultural facilities, and public service facilities play a more prominent role in relatively mature and compact agglomerations. Based on these differentiated effects, urban agglomerations can be broadly categorized into two dominant types: transportation-oriented agglomerations, where mobility-oriented infrastructure constitutes the primary livability foundation, and ecology-oriented agglomerations, where green spaces, environmental quality, and public service provision contribute more substantially to livability enhancement.

By integrating infrastructure and public services into a unified analytical framework at the urban agglomeration scale, this study extends the empirical understanding of livability formation mechanisms beyond the city level. The findings offer policy-relevant insights for differentiated infrastructure and public service strategies, emphasizing the importance of aligning development priorities with the structural characteristics and developmental stages of urban agglomerations.