Spatial Distribution Pattern and Influencing Factors of Physical Bookstores of Large Cities: A Case Study of Three National Central Cities in Western China

As cultural facilities, physical bookstore is an important part of urban infrastructure. Influenced by the development of social economy and the internet, physical bookstores also have become a combination of cultural space and tourism experience. In this case, it is necessary to explore the spatial characteristics and influencing factors of physical bookstores. This study uses Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN), spatial analysis and geographical detectors to calculate the spatial distribution pattern and factors influencing physical bookstores in national central cities/municipality (hereafter using cities) in western China. Based on spatial data, population density, road density and other data, this study constructed a data set of the influencing factors of physical bookstores, consisting of 11 factors along 6 dimensions for 3 national central cities in western China. The results are as follows: first, the spatial distribution pattern of physical bookstores in Xi’an, Chengdu, and Chongqing is unbalanced. The spatial distribution of physical bookstores in Xi’an and Chongqing is from southwest to northeast and are relatively clustered, while those in Chengdu are relatively discrete. Second, the spatial distribution pattern of physical bookstores has been formed under the influence of different factors. The intensity and significance of influencing factors differ in the case cities. However, in general, the social factor, business factor, the density of research facilities, tourism factor and road density are the main driving factors in the three cities. There is a synergistic relationship between public libraries and physical bookstores. Third, the explanatory power becomes stronger after the interaction between various factors. In Xi’an and Chengdu, the density of communities and the density of research facilities have stronger explanatory power for the dependent variable after interacting with other factors. However, in Chongqing, the traffic factors have stronger explanatory power for the dependent variable after interacting with other factors. The results could provide a practical reference for the sustainable development of physical bookstores and encourage a love of reading among the public.