POI-Based Assessment of Sustainable Commercial Development: Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Commercial Facilities Around Urumqi Metro Line 1 Stations

Against the backdrop of rapid rail transit development, this study takes Urumqi Metro Line 1 as a case, using geographic information system (GIS) spatial analysis and space syntax Pearson correlation coefficient methods. Focusing on an 800 m radius around station areas, the research investigates the distribution characteristics of commercial facilities and the impact of metro development on commercial patterns through the quantitative analysis and distribution trends of points of interest (POI) data across different historical periods. The study reveals that following the opening of Urumqi Metro Line 1, commercial facilities have predominantly clustered around stations including Erdaoqiao, Nanmen, Beimen, Nanhu Square, Nanhu Beilu, Daxigou, and Sports Center, with kernel density values surging by 28–39%, indicating significantly enhanced commercial agglomeration. Metro construction has promoted commercial POI quantity growth and commercial sector enrichment. Surrounding commercial areas have developed rapidly after metro construction, with the most significant impacts observed in the catering, shopping, and residential-oriented living commercial sectors. After the construction of the subway, the distribution pattern of commercial facilities presents two kinds of aggregation patterns: one is the original centripetal aggregation layout before construction and further strengthened after construction; the other is the centripetal aggregation layout before construction and further weakened after construction, tending to the site level of face-like aggregation. The clustering characteristics of different business types vary. Factors such as subway accessibility, population density, and living infrastructure all impact the distribution of businesses around the subway. The impact of subway accessibility on commercial facilities varies by station infrastructure and urban area. The findings demonstrate how transit infrastructure development can catalyze sustainable urban form evolution by optimizing spatial resource allocation and fostering transportation–commerce synergy. It provides empirical support for applying the theory of transit-oriented development (TOD) in the urban planning of western developing regions. The research not only fills a research gap concerning the commercial space differentiation law of metro systems in megacities in arid areas but also provides a scientific decision-making basis for optimizing the spatial resource allocation of stations and realizing the synergistic development of transportation and commerce in the node cities along the “Belt and Road”.