Exploring the interactive effects of internal and external factors on residents' daily lives: Perspective of commercial gentrification in historic districts

Commercial gentrification has led to the widespread replacement of traditional shops with high-end boutiques and large chain enterprises, a phenomenon particularly prevalent in historic districts. However, existing research predominantly focuses on the effect of such changes on tourism while largely neglecting the daily lives of residents within historic districts. To address this gap, this study compares historic districts with commercial gentrification and non-commercial gentrification in China to examine the effects of internal factors, external factors, and their interaction effect on residents’ daily lives. The findings indicate that in commercially gentrified historic districts, high-income and highly educated groups use neighborhood facilities more frequently. This demonstrates that the improved external environment becomes a key driver of residents’ daily lives. However, the bene…