Spatial Distribution Equilibrium and Relationship between Construction Land Expansion and Basic Education Schools in Shanghai Based on POI Data

Basic education is about improving the quality of life of a country’s population and promote social cohesions, and it is also an important factor in shaping a country and region’s person-to-person relationship. This study analyzes the spatial morphological patterns, aggregation characteristics, and distribution inequality among kindergarten, elementary, and junior high schools within districts in Shanghai, using point of interest data, kernel density estimation, Ripley’s K-function, location quotient, and grid analysis to investigate the effect on the distribution of schools using construction land growth data. The findings were as follows. (1) There was little difference in the spatial distribution characteristics of the three school types. They all exhibited the spatial distribution characteristics of core area clustering and the coexistence of multiple circadian layers, in which both the agglomeration size and the aggregation intensity showed the order of kindergarten > elementary school > junior high schools. The spatial distribution characteristics of the three types of schools are highly positively correlated with the population distribution. (2) Spatially, low-level schools were adjacent to high-level schools, and the structure of the three school types showed an uneven distribution overall. The aggregation characteristics of the seven inner districts within Shanghai were relatively balanced, while Pudong District showed the phenomenon of being “high in the southeast and low in the northeast”, and the suburban areas showed an uneven distribution of core district aggregation overall. (3) The longer the construction land growth cycle, the greater the density of school points, and the more consistent the distribution of school points with the direction of construction land expansion