How to design a sustainable street network for neighbourhoods: an empirical study of China’s inner cities from the perspective of spatial configuration

The street space of China’s inner cities performs the function of organizing neighbourhood services. This study aims to understand the typological characteristics of street network structures from a spatial configuration perspective and their impact on neighbourhood facilities’ layout. The study selected four Chinese inner cities and adopted a route structure approach comprising continuity, connectivity, and depth to distinguish seven street types. A correlation analysis between street configuration and Baidu maps’ points of interest revealed different street types’ ability to support service facilities and how street-type combinations affect the block group unit’s overall cohesion. Finally, it proposed an ideal street network model to provide reference for neighbourhood design practice and presented adaptive suggestions for a value cognition and management system. This study established a direct connection between cognition in the field of urban morphology and practice in the field of urban design, thus providing new perspectives on neighbourhood community design.