RMCVI: A Refined Urban Vitality Perception Index Considering Mountain Characteristics

ABSTRACT With the acceleration of mountain city urbanization in China, the emphasis on high‐speed development while neglecting high‐quality development has led to severe urban centralization and unreasonable spatial distribution. Urban Vitality (UV) can help identify and address these issues, help promoting sustainable development of cities. At present, research on the vitality of mountain cities is still limited. So, the study takes the main area of Chongqing as an example. Slope data is extracted as a parameter to propose an accurate UV indicator for mountain cities based on the characteristics of mountain cities. By analyzing the correlation between the general UV using POI and the proposed UV index, and comparing the results with population density and station density. It can be found that applying refined mountain UV index to three cities with different geographical features, Chongqing, Singapore, and Los Angeles, the research results show that its performance is significantly better than general UV index. Not only proposes an accurate refined mountain UV index, this study but also emphasizes the importance of rational urban development to enhance UV through empirical research on the main city of Chongqing. In addition, the study can provide a reference for the urban planning and development of other mountain cities, and provide new ideas and methods for understanding mountain city.