Supply-demand matching assessment of public services facility among age groups from the perspective of travel behavior

High urban population density creates diverse demands for public service facilities (PSFs) across age groups, presenting significant challenges for equitable resource allocation in sustainable development. Current research on comprehensive analysis of age-specific PSF supply-demand matching has been inadequate. This study addresses this gap by utilized Mobile Signal Data to track daily travel behavior among four age groups in Guangzhou. By employing multiple probability calculations, the Visiting Preference Index (VPI) was introduced to quantify preference for seven categories of PSFs within residents’ daily travel distance. Spatial analysis reveals three key findings: (1) Distinct age-based preferences emerge: the teenager prioritizing education, the youth and middle-aged favoring transportation, and the senior requiring healthcare. Teenager and senior share similar characteristics of VPI; (2) Significant spatial heterogeneity exists: transportation facilities exhibit a higher level VPI in periphery areas than in central areas. Conversely, the other six categories of PSFs showed an inverse pattern. Notable differences in VPI are observed among different age groups and across urban districts for each type of PSFs; (3) Within the traditional living circle, PSFs failed to meet over 95 % of demand. However, satisfaction increased to over 90 % after expanding the radius to match age-specific traveled distances: 9.39 km for senior, 12.12 km for teenager, 12.62 km for middle-aged, and 12.86 km for youth. These findings inform targeted planning suggestions to optimize PSFs distribution.