The challenge for Lanzhou, an elongated strip city in China's Northwest, goes beyond mere growth; it is fundamentally about fairness. A recent comprehensive study has brought to light a stark spatial inequity in retail and daily living facilities for the city's significant young population. This isn't just an abstract planning issue; it translates directly into diminished quality of life and reduced opportunities for the youth who are the engine of Lanzhou’s future innovation and societal vitality. The study, which utilized a multi-dimensional framework assessing coverage, richness, and sharing, definitively concluded that essential facilities exhibit a pronounced pattern of central concentration and peripheral scarcity. For those residing outside the highly accessible cores of Chengguan and Anning districts—areas benefiting from dense commercial hubs and established university resources—the daily reality is a struggle for basic access. This disparity is intensified by Lanzhou's unique linear urban form, creating a core-periphery divide that marginalizes a large segment of its younger demographic. As global urbanization accelerates, achieving spatial equity is a key objective, yet institutional frameworks in many Chinese cities, including Lanzhou, often lack dedicated mechanisms to identify and respond to the specific needs and preferences of young people regarding their spatial environments and public services. The consequence is a failure to effectively articulate and safeguard their requirements within public service systems, leading to deficient access despite sufficient overall facility provision. For citizens, this study is a critical call to action, demanding urban governance to prioritize inclusive development. This research acts as an undeniable benchmark, providing the necessary data to compel local authorities to shift planning discourse from sheer provision to equitable access. The findings strongly suggest that future urban development strategies must actively counteract the intensifying core–periphery disparities and ensure that the vital forces driving the city's progress are not spatially marginalized. Read the full analysis to understand how this spatial gap impacts economic mobility and what immediate policy shifts Lanzhou must implement to build a truly youth-friendly city for the long term.