Decoding the association between urban streetscape skeletons and urban activities: Experiments in Beijing using Dazhong Dianping data

The essential role of urban streetscape skeletons in fostering vibrant streets has been repeatedly emphasized. However, most research focused on the macro-scale or mesoscale urban form or measuring streetscape skeletons using quantitative methods, failing to systematically examine the relationship between the street-level urban form with urban activities. This study took street segments as the analytic unit to analyze the relationship between streetscape skeletons and urban activities represented by the density of online reviews on the Dazhong Dianping by controlling other built environments. Using models like Multiple Linear Regression, Spatial Lag Model, and Random Forest Regression, the result suggested that when conducting activities, people preferred the strengths of the street but ignored its weaknesses. The findings demonstrated some skeleton indicators associated with urban activities, such as the width and enclosure of the street and the higher and more continuous buildings on the side of the streets. Moreover, the result also suggested that some streetscape skeletons, such as cross-section and length, have differentiated performances for online reviews at different distances to the street centerlines. These findings could help urban designers to rethink the interaction between urban activities and street-level urban form.