| Abstract |
Hospitality- and tourism-driven city development and heritage preservation present dual challenges for historic cities trying to maintain sustainability. Spatial organization of urban facilities affects tourism efficiency and quality of life. However, despite advances in data analytics, there are few empirical studies that examine the temporal evolution of facilities accessibility in tourism-centric historical cities. To fill these gaps, this study investigates the distribution of facilities in Guilin, China—a historically significant city experiencing rapid growth. It uses hybrid theoretical frameworks that combine concepts of tourist urbanism, spatial justice, and place-based accessibility to analyze urban facility accessibility changes from 2014 to 2024. The results showed strong positive links between the Reach Index and tourism-related services like hotels and restaurants, indicating that these amenities are becoming more clustered along accessible routes. Conversely, public service facilities exhibited declining geographical relationships with accessibility indicators, suggesting a trend toward centralization and diminishing spatial equity over time. Healthcare and lifestyle service points of interest showed remarkable resilience in their spatial organization and were aligned with primary road networks. Furthermore, cross-temporal analyses indicated that facilities had developed into hotspots, influenced by infrastructure investments, regulatory measures, and external disruptions. These findings underscore the importance of integrating points of interest with accessibility metrics to capture both functional and experiential dimensions. This study presents empirical insights and methodological advancements that facilitate urban spatial reconfigurations in heritage tourism environments. Ultimately, this study offers a blueprint for replicable solutions to balancing cultural preservation, spatial equity, and tourism growth in similar cities worldwide. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd |
