Evaluation of Walkability Index for Embedded Community Services from an Age-Friendly Perspective: A Case Study of Mapple Community in Chengdu, China

Evaluating the walkability of embedded community service facilities is crucial for fostering age-friendly neighborhoods. Existing studies predominantly focus on qualitative analyses of single age groups, lacking a quantitative framework that integrates multigenerational demands and dynamically combines accessibility with facility usability. This study proposes a novel age-differentiated walkability evaluation framework through a case study of the Maple Community in Chengdu, China. The framework innovatively integrates facility classification weighting systems, population-specific distance decay functions, and multisource spatial data analysis to reveal intergenerational disparities in facility demand and spatial suitability. Key contributions include the following: (1) developing mobility-attenuated accessibility models tailored to distinct age groups, overcoming the limitations of traditional single-function approaches; (2) establishing a multidimensional evaluation system that bridges accessibility theory and usability metrics; (3) empirically demonstrating the spatial equity improvements through embedded facility optimization. The results highlight that elderly residents prioritize healthcare facilities (weight = 0.22), while adolescents rely heavily on cultural–recreational amenities (weight = 0.32). Post-renewal walkability scores in core areas increased by 52.3%, yet persistent peripheral disparities underscore intergenerational accessibility gaps. The framework provides theoretical and methodological advancements for age-friendly community planning, offering actionable insights for data-driven urban renewal policies.