Allocation of Public Service Facilities Based on Community Life Circles: A Case Study in Mianyang, China

Abstract The allocation of public service facilities based on community life circle is the main measure of urban social governance at present. Although there are many researches on the allocation of public service facilities, the evaluation on different levels of community life circle is still insufficient. Taking Mianyang city of Sichuan Province as an example, based on big data such as city blocks, roads and POI, the different levels of community life circles are delineated and their public service facilities are evaluated. The results show the following: (1) Combined 15, 10 and 5 min walking time with roads and administrative boundaries, three levels of community life circle is defined comprehensively. (2) The public service facility coverage rate and community life circle standard rate have gradually decreased from a 15-min community life circle(15min-CLC) to a 10-min community life circle(10min-CLC) and then a 5-min community life circle(5min-CLC). The unevenly distributed basic public service facilities, such as secondary schools and hospitals, mainly accounts for the low rates. (3) All categories of public service facilities present remarkable spatial auto-correlation, which shows on a characteristic transform from “core-periphery” to “one-core multi-center” distribution pattern with the decrease of the community life circle level. The study revealed the spatial distribution characteristics of urban public service facilities under different community life circle levels, and provided theoretical basis for optimizing the allocation of public service.