With the rapid progress of urbanization in China, bus stops, which play an important role in urban public spaces, serve not only as core components of public transportation but also as significant elements representing the city’s image and public se...
With the rapid progress of urbanization in China, bus stops, which play an important role in urban public spaces, serve not only as core components of public transportation but also as significant elements representing the city’s image and public services. However, as public demands for safety, comfort, intelligence, and sustainability continue to increase, existing bus stops still face many limitations in terms of function and user experience, making it difficult to satisfy diverse user needs.
This study integrates Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) technology based on the Kano-AHP method to develop a user needs analysis model for urban bus stops in China and to explore optimization strategies. First, through a review of relevant studies and field investigations, the current conditions and major problems of bus stops in Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province, China, were analyzed, and passengers’ key requirements were identified. In this process, safety assurance, environmental comfort, sustainability, and smart services were confirmed as the main user needs. Second, the Kano model was applied to classify user needs into Must-be requirements, One-dimensional requirements, and Attractive requirements. The survey results also identified some Indifferent requirements; however, as these were found to have little impact on user satisfaction, they were excluded from further analysis. Third, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to construct a hierarchical model of bus stop user needs, and the relative weights of each indicator were calculated through expert evaluation, thereby quantitatively analyzing the importance of different requirements. In the design stage, AIGC technology was introduced through the use of ChatGPT, Dream AI, and Stable Diffusion platforms. Based on the Kano-AHP analysis results, prompts were generated to derive design alternatives, enabling intelligent design generation and comparison of multiple alternatives. The application of AIGC significantly improved the creativity and efficiency of the design process.
The research site of this study was Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province, China. Located along the coast of Bohai Bay, Qinhuangdao is a well-known tourist city, and the increasing number of tourists has led to growing demand for public transportation. In addition, in line with the national strategy of “Healthy China,” the region is promoting the development of the life and health industry and paying increasing attention to public health issues, making it a suitable area for research on bus stop optimization. However, current bus stops in this region face problems such as aging facilities, insufficient spatial utilization, and a low level of informatization, which make it difficult to meet the diverse travel needs of residents and tourists. As the researcher is from Qinhuangdao and has a strong understanding of the local transportation environment and user characteristics, favorable conditions were available for conducting field investigations. Accordingly, this study conducted research on the optimization of bus stops in Qinhuangdao City.
The results of this study propose design strategies for the optimization of bus stops in Qinhuangdao City and verify them through case analysis. Emphasizing the integration of theory and practice, this study presents a systematic research and design methodology through the classification of user needs, weight calculation, and AIGC-assisted design. By taking Qinhuangdao City as a case study, this research is expected not only to provide directions for improving local bus stops but also to offer foundational data for the smart transformation and human-centered design of urban public spaces in other cities.