Abstract
China’s rapid aging has boosted demand for elderly care facilities (ECFs), yet their spatial equity is understudied. This study evaluates and optimizes ECFs accessibility in Dalian using an improved Gaussian two-step floating catchment area (G2SFCA) method, incorporating real-time road distances (via Gaode API) and elderly-specific travel thresholds. Compared to traditional 2SFCA, it addresses limitations like oversimplified Euclidean distance and homogeneous travel assumptions by accounting for distance decay and actual mobility patterns. The Maximum Accessibility Equality (MAE) model, optimized via Coefficient of Variation (CV) and Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD), minimizes spatial inequity through bed reallocation. The research findings are as follow: pre-optimization, 31% of sub-districts had low accessibility, which dropped to 14% post-optimization, with medium-accessibility areas rising to 76%. MAD-MAE achieved a 48.2% lower standard deviation (3.93 vs. CV-MAE’s 7.59). Strategies include reallocating 150 beds from oversupplied urban cores (Zhoushuizi District) to underserved peripheries (Ganjingzi District). This framework offers a scalable solution for equitable public facility allocation.
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Data availability
The processed datasets supporting the findings of this study are provided as Supplementary Materials. Raw data sources and their corresponding data types are as follows: 1. Population census data (Sixth and Seventh National Population Census of Dalian) from Dalian Municipal Bureau of Statistics (https://tjj.dl.gov.cn/); 2. ECF data (category, location, number of beds, etc.) from Dalian Civil Affairs Bureau (http://mzj.dl.gov.cn/) and relevant elderly care networks(https://www.yanglao.com.cn/); 3. Community POI data (household numbers, coordinates, etc.) from Lianjia official data service channels(https://yibin.lianjia.com/) and Anjuke official data service channels(https://anjuke.brand.anjuke.com/); 4. Administrative boundary data and road network data from Gaode Map Developer Platform(https://lbs.amap.com/) and Geospatial Data Cloud Platform(http://www.gscloud.cn/); 5. Administrative boundary data from official Dalian geographic information resource portals. 6. Dalian vector maps are sourced from Tianditu (https://www.tianditu.gov.cn/?4).
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Acknowledgements
We acknowledge funding from the Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41701123) and the Special Fund for Basic Scientific Research Business Expenses of Liaoning Provincial Universities (LJ112410165047).
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Conceptualization, GL and PD; methodology, GL; software, GL; validation, LW and PD; formal analysis, GL; investigation, GL; resources, GL; data curation, GL and YJ; writing—original draft preparation, GL; writing—review & editing, GL, LW, PD and YJ ; visualization, GL; supervision, LW and PD; funding acquisition, PD. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
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Lu, G., Wang, L., Jiao, Y. et al. Evaluation and optimization of spatial equity in elderly care facilities: a case study of Dalian, China. Humanit Soc Sci Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-06468-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-06468-2
