Cognitive Differences Between Residents and Merchants in Ciqikou Mountainous Historic Districts Oriented by the Living Development–Authenticity Preservation Framework

Abstract

As urban-living heritage sites, mountainous historic districts face the dual challenges of authenticity preservation and living development and the diverse and complex needs of different user groups. To address these challenges, this study systematically examines the cognitive differences between residents and merchants in mountainous historic districts and their implications for sustainable heritage management, using the Ciqikou Historic District in Chongqing as a case study. Through grounded theory methodology, we investigate residents and merchants via questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Using coding analysis, the study reveals the cognitive similarities and differences of different users toward mountainous historic districts and explores their formation mechanisms, focusing on the spatial differentiation of cognition influenced by topographical and locational factors. Results indicate that both user groups share common cognitive concerns regarding building safety, transportation, policies, and infrastructure. Residents prioritise aspects related to daily convenience, whereas merchants focus more on economic benefits, leading to differences in their cognitive classifications and evaluations. Location plays a significant role in shaping user cognition, with notable cognitive differences observed between residents and merchants across different locations, and intra-group variation exists within the same user group at different locations. Based on a living–authenticity theoretical framework, this study constructs a living development–authentic preservation strategic framework and a multidimensional synergistic implementation framework encompassing integrity–locality–user, providing effective pathways for the preservation and sustainable development of mountainous historic districts.

1. Introduction

Mountainous topography has a profound influence on human settlement patterns, land use, economic development, and related aspects [1]. As critical witnesses to urban evolution, historic districts in mountainous cities not only reflect the diachronic living and production practices of residents but also embody the material expression of human–environment relationships [2]. Their distinctive spatial and geographical configurations illustrate an integrated system coupling nature, land, and human activities. The three-dimensional spatial structure of mountainous cities, shaped by the interplay between mountains and water, fosters closer human–environment interactions, thereby eliciting unique cognitive responses to spatial environments [3]. Empirical case studies have demonstrated that preserving authenticity in historic districts can effectively promote local socioeconomic development. For instance, the Salem, Massachusetts, historic districts in the United States have attracted over 3 million visitors annually through conservation-oriented development, leading to a 3.2% increase in the value of the surrounding commercial properties [4]. However, contemporary historic districts often struggle to adapt to the rapidly evolving urban environment and increasingly diverse and complex needs of modern society [5]. Mountainous historic districts have persistently confronted the dual challenges of authenticity preservation and living development. Traditional preservation approaches primarily focus on safeguarding the historical architecture and visual integrity of districts, often neglecting adaptive reuse strategies aligned with contemporary urban development and the evolving needs of residents [6]. Consequently, a disconnection has emerged between the historical legacy and future trajectory of these districts [7], ultimately hindering their sustainable development. Therefore, the revitalisation of historic districts must emphasise not only comprehensive preservation and cultural continuity but also alignment with the living and production needs of contemporary users, along with the broader trajectory of urban development. This study examines the differential impacts of mountainous topographic settings on the perception of historic environments, while exploring key challenges and revitalisation strategies through a synergistic lens that integrates heritage preservation and living development.

The concept of living heritage, proposed in the 1990s, emphasises the pivotal role of users in shaping the development of historic districts and their surrounding locations. Different users assume distinct roles [8], collectively influencing the preservation and development of these districts. For instance, merchants play a key role in transforming traditional culture into modern consumer symbols within historic districts [9], acting as both mediators of cultural transmission and engines of economic revitalisation. Residents not only serve as carriers of everyday social networks but also uphold the continuity of traditional spatial patterns [10]. However, the cognitive differences and similarities between users regarding mountainous historic districts, as well as how these districts, as living heritage sites, respond to their diverse and complex needs, remain underexplored.

This study selected the Ciqikou Historic District, a representative mountainous historical district, as the study site. As one of China’s first historic and cultural districts and one of the best-preserved residential historic districts in Chongqing’s main urban area, it holds a significant position in both the so-called new twelve views of Bayu and the city’s historical–cultural heritage system. At present, the protection and development of the Ciqikou Historic District face the following challenges:

• Owing to their topographic characteristics, mountainous historic districts encounter more pronounced dual challenges of authenticity preservation and living development compared to their flatland counterparts.
• Challenges to the authenticity of living heritage occur in mountainous historic districts, where original residents have gradually moved out because of unmet living demands. Field investigations revealed that the actual resident population was significantly lower than expected, with the remaining low-income residents increasingly marginalised. As a result, the core authenticity of a living heritage site is at serious risk.
• The diverse and complex perceptions and needs of different user groups cannot be effectively balanced, particularly the conflicting demands of merchants and residents, hindering the sustainable development of the district.
• Cognitive differences among user groups across different locations within mountainous historic districts pose new challenges for living development in these areas.

Therefore, based on the cognitive similarities and differences among different user groups in mountainous historic districts, this study systematically examines the differential impact of distinct spatial locations within mountainous environments on the cognition of historic districts. Innovatively selecting merchants and residents as the focal groups for analysing cognitive disparities, it creatively introduces the “Living Development–Authenticity Preservation” Theory and adopts a grounded theory-based bottom-up analytical approach, constructing a novel framework that links the multidimensional characteristics of mountainous spatial elements with cognitive differences. A mixed-methods approach combining semi-structured interviews and questionnaires was employed in the Ciqikou Historic District, addressing the following research questions (RQs; Figure 1):

• RQ1: What are the cognitive similarities and differences between merchants and residents of historic mountainous districts?
• RQ2: How are the cognitive differences between merchants and residents formed in mountainous historic districts?
• RQ3: How do topography and location influence the cognition of merchants and residents of mountainous historic districts?
• RQ4: How can an implementation strategy be constructed to coordinate living development with the authentic preservation of living heritage in mountainous historic districts?

2. Literature Review

2.1. Environmental Cognition of Different Users in Mountainous Historic Districts

Numerous historic cities and districts, particularly those located in mountainous regions, experience various forms of obsolescence. Changes in the spatial morphology, traditional culture, historical memory, and internal social networks among indigenous residents have contributed to the decline and transformation of social structures in mountainous historic districts [11]. Previous research has demonstrated that mountainous topography significantly influences the development of historic districts. For example, by examining the relationship between heritage resources and natural topography in the Chambal sub-Himalayan region of India, the preservation and development of mountainous historic districts must fully account for topography-related factors such as the slope, land use suitability, and the disaster adaptability of buildings [12]. Architects and planners are expected to minimise topography-induced inconveniences while promoting distinctive mountainous modes of living and production. Moreover, the spatial structures of mountainous environments are highly diverse, comprising various combinations of spatial forms [13], and different spatial characteristics in mountainous environments can affect human cognition at multiple levels [14].

In the process of historic district preservation and development, previous studies have shown that different users exhibit both cognitive similarities and differences in the environment and that their cognitive approaches and focal points vary [15]. Even when they share the same focus, expectations of the district’s future development may differ [16]. Therefore, balancing expectations and conflicts among different users is essential for the preservation and renewal of mountainous historic districts in the context of tourism development [17]. For example, in the tourism development of the Badaling Great Wall in China, conflicts between the rights and expectations of different users have negative consequences for local economic and social development [18]. The absence of collaborative participation among users can also hinder coordinated regional progress [19]. Some studies have explored strategies for enhancing public participation. For instance, encouraging local residents to participate in tourism planning and development helps ensure the sustainable renewal of historic districts while supporting cultural transmission [20]. The United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also emphasises the importance of diverse users’ cooperation—including governments, businesses, NGOs, academia, and social groups—under the ‘Partnership for the Goals’ framework [21], thereby promoting collaborative governance.

However, current research on the environmental cognition of different users, specifically within historic mountainous districts, remains limited. Significant differences exist between flatlands and mountainous cities. For instance, a study on historic villages at different altitudes in Yunnan, China found that the effects of topography and elevation on villages vary greatly [13]. In China, mountainous populations and towns account for approximately half of the national total. Their urban spaces, shaped by multidimensional topography, terraced elevation spaces, and three-dimensional functional structures, tend to foster stronger human–environment relationships than those found in flatland cities [22]. The contradictions between mountainous historic districts and the people are largely reflected in the complex and diverse spatial demands of different users. Human cognition further influences the evaluation of these spaces and the behaviours that occur within them [14]. At the same time, most existing studies have been constrained by a focus on either merchants and tourists [23] or tourists and residents [24]. Taking Ciqikou, a representative mountainous historic district, as a case study, this study focused on exploring the cognitive differences and similarities among diverse users who are the core production and living groups within the district, within the context of mountainous urban historic districts.

2.2. Living–Authenticity Theoretical Framework of Historic District

The concept of living heritage was first introduced in the 1990s by the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to advocate for the dynamic and localised transmission and preservation of cultural heritage [25]. In 2003, the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) proposed the living heritage approach [26], which explicitly defines living heritage as ‘historic heritage and resources that have survived from different historical periods and are still in use today, with core communities continuing to reside in the heritage sites’. As essential components of living heritage in mountainous cities, residential historic districts carry substantial research value. The concept of living–authenticity therefore encompasses two core dimensions: the authentic preservation of living heritage and the advancement of living development [25,26].

In previous studies, the term ‘authenticity’ has been interpreted as encompassing the meanings of original, real, and trustworthy [27], and the term ‘living’ in living heritage encompasses the meanings of dynamism, living preservation, and revitalisation, with its core referring to living development and the active utilisation of heritage. Before the formal proposal of the concept, the notion of a ‘living monument’ in the Florence Charter, the emphasis on cultural continuity in the Nara Document on Authenticity, and the people-centred development-oriented principles in UNESCO’s Nairobi Recommendations all laid the material and value foundations for the emergence of living heritage [28,29,30]. These documents provide the material and value base for the concept of living heritage. The term ‘living cultural heritage’ first appeared in UNESCO’s Hoi An Protocols and stated that historic districts, including historic villages and urban neighbourhoods, are an important part of living cultural heritage in Asian countries. The core characteristic of the ICCROM’s Living Heritage Sites programme [26] is the continuity of original functions, and its fundamental principle lies in emphasising community participation and the continuity of everyday life [31]. Living heritage refers to the cultural heritage that has persisted to the present day and is still in use. Functional and cultural values must be continuously protected and transmitted. Sustaining the inherent dynamism and complexity is a central concern in the preservation and renewal of living heritage [32]. The core of living heritage preservation and renewal lies not only in maintaining the historical characteristics and spirit of the district but also in emphasising the agency and diverse needs of indigenous communities. It highlights the complex interest structures under market conditions and advocates bottom-up public participation to promote community-based development. This approach aims to stimulate community and societal self-consciousness and establish autonomous mechanisms for the transmission and renewal of living heritage [33].

Based on this, the concept of living in the mountainous historic districts proposed in this study carries a dual connotation: it refers both to living heritage and to living preservation and adaptive reuse or revitalisation, preserving the original attributes of heritage while simultaneously responding to the symbiotic needs of modern society and sustainable development. It encompasses the collaborative coexistence of the population structure, functional industries, spirit of place, and cultural structures [26]. The concept of living development emphasises promoting the sustainable development of tangible cultural heritage through scientific and effective protection and presentation as well as the coordination of regional economies and rational utilisation. It ultimately aims to achieve reuse based on preservation and to stimulate long-term social, economic, and cultural vitality in the region [26,31], which aligns with national development strategies and addresses urban regeneration imperatives. Guided by the concept of living–authenticity, the protection and renewal of mountainous historic districts require the synergistic coupling of the authenticity preservation of living heritage and living development. It is necessary to extract detailed operational mechanisms from their interrelated paths and systematically integrate the existing resource of mountainous historic districts to form actionable strategies for protection and development. Within this coupled framework, the key elements include the authenticity of community life, spatial authenticity, living culture with authentic vitality, authentic vitality of the historic environment, social vitality, economic vitality, and spatial vitality. These elements collectively constitute a scientifically grounded theoretical support system for the protection and development of mountainous historic districts [26,34] (Figure 2).

2.3. Grounded Theory Based Research on Mountainous Historic Districts

Research on mountainous historic districts must seek to understand the cognitive differences and similarities, features, and evaluations of different users in their environment. Grounded theory, particularly that based on semi-structured interviews, plays a crucial role in such investigations [35]. For instance, grounded theory has been employed to analyse public spaces along Qianmen Street on Beijing’s Central Axis. By coding online visitor reviews and interview transcripts, the analysis identified the key elements that influenced visitor satisfaction [36]. Grounded theory has also been widely applied to examine the mechanisms that connect different users to local preservation and development processes. For instance, one study applied grounded theory to the redevelopment of a decommissioned shipyard in Coloane, Macau, and revealed that residents were primarily concerned with rights expressions, co-creation, NIMBY attitudes, place attachment, and authenticity in the reconstruction process [37]. Grounded theory has also been used to construct theoretical models. For instance, one study analysed verbatim transcripts from interviews with residents of the Sarpol community in Iran. Employing a paradigm model, they developed a theoretical framework and proposed practical strategies to advance community regeneration [38]. Nevertheless, owing to the complexity of internal contradictions, diversity of user distribution, and scarcity of relevant case studies, there remains a lack of grounded theory-based research that systematically explores cognitive differences and similarities between diverse users in mountainous historic districts [39,40,41]. Accordingly, this study conducted semi-structured interviews and questionnaire surveys with merchants and residents of the Ciqikou Historic District, followed by grounded theory-based coding. By combining relevant theories on heritage preservation and cognitive map theory, this study aims to uncover the cognitive differences and similarities, influencing factors, cognitive features and classifications, and cognitive evaluation of these two types of users, thus offering theoretical support for the sustainable development of mountainous historic districts.

3. Materials and Methods

3.1. Study Area

The study area is located in the Ciqikou Historic District of the Shapingba District, Chongqing. The total area of the district is 32.5 hm², with a construction control zone of 23.67 hm². The block texture, along with the natural features of mountains, water, forests, and urban characteristics, is generally well preserved. The well-conserved location is approximately 14.3 hm², and the core protected zone covers 6.99 hm², mainly located on the eastern and southeastern slopes of Ma’anshan, including Ciqikou Main Street, Ciqikou Heng Street, and Huangjueping Lane. The Ciqikou Historic District is the most visited historical and cultural district in Chongqing, receiving nearly 14.9 million tourists annually and hosting the city’s most active commercial activities. Currently, 720 business units operate within the district, covering eight main categories: retail, specialty product sales, characteristic catering, cultural industries, leisure and entertainment, beverages and snacks, accommodations, and other services. Approximately 60–70% of the storefronts are privately owned. As a residential historic district, Ciqikou’s administrative jurisdiction includes Jinbi, Jinrong, Fenghuangshan, and Cijiancun. After the completion of the first round of renewal (2000–2020), about 1700 residents still lived in the district. However, preliminary fieldwork revealed that apart from the residential units located between the construction control line and the core protection boundary, there are fewer than 30 households whose residents actually reside long-term within the core conservation area in the district.

Based on topographical characteristics, spatial morphology form, and functional composition, the study location was divided into four blocks (Figure 3). Block A covers the Zhengjie Street location, which is the core location with the earliest built street-space structures. The topography is steep with small and relatively stable D/H values. The block texture is primarily composed of traditional Chuandou-style buildings, and its functional types are dominated by traditional local businesses, such as the century-old brand Chen Ma Hua. Block B is Pedestrian Boulevard, a newly built location in the latest renewal round. The topography is relatively flat, and the D/H values are the largest and most stable of the four blocks. The block texture mainly consists of newly constructed buildings with Chinese-style façades, with functions focused on small-scale restaurants and a few homestays. Block C covers the Xingfu neighbourhood, a traditional hilltop residential location dating back to the Song Dynasty. The topography is steep, the D/H value is the smallest and most stable, and the location is dominated by old residential buildings with virtually no commercial function. Block D is a rear-street commercial location developed in recent years as an extension of the Zhengjie Street pattern. The topography is steep, the D/H value is moderate, with considerable variation, and most buildings are new Chinese-style imitations of traditional architecture. These functions focus on high-end chain restaurants and specialty product retail (

Table 1. Characteristic matrices of Blocks A, B, C, and D.

Block	Elevation Difference	Accessibility	Infrastructure Completeness Level	D/H Value	Merchants (Number)	Residents (Number)
A	◒	◒	◒	○	●	◒
B	○	●	●	●	◒	◒
C	●	○	○	○	○	●
D	●	●	●	◒	●	○

● represents highly relevant; ◒ represents moderately relevant; ○ represents minimally relevant.

).

3.2. Data Measures

This study employed a combination of semi-structured interviews and questionnaires to collect data. Participants were selected from among residents and merchants situated within the four designated blocks of Ciqikou Historic District (Figure 4). The research team developed tailored questionnaire scales and semi-structured interview outlines for different users, covering aspects such as policy, transportation, public services, and housing. Participants were randomly and evenly distributed across the four blocks. Interviews were conducted in January, June, and September 2024 and covered various seasonal and climatic conditions. The sessions were held on weekdays and weekends in three time slots: morning, afternoon, and evening. First, a large-scale site survey was conducted to obtain initial questionnaires, allowing the collection of basic information from residents and merchants (Figure 5). Next, screening criteria were established for each group: merchants were selected based on age, gender, years of operation, and income level; residents were selected based on age, gender, household population structure, and length of residence. A total of 88 individuals were interviewed in this study, including 43 residents and 45 merchants). Of these, 45 were female, and 43 were male. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification, individuals under the age of 44 years are considered to be in the young age group, those aged 44–60 years are in the middle-aged group, and those aged 60–75 years are in the elderly age group [42]. This study categorised the total number of participants according to their age at the 44-year mark. Among the residents, 20 were under 44 years old and 23 were over 44 years old. Among the merchants, 23 were under 44, and 22 were over 44. The average monthly income of residents was approximately 4000 RMB, while that of merchants was approximately 15,000 RMB. None of the participants had a history of cardiovascular, mental, or neurological disorders; none were long-term users of prescription medications; none had uncorrected or corrected visual acuity below 1.0; and all possessed good sensory abilities (primarily vision and hearing). Additionally, they demonstrated the ability to correctly understand the relevant indicators in the audiovisual cognition evaluation system used in this study. The experiment collected 112 questionnaires and 57 audio recordings in the two parks. After sorting and reviewing the data, the research team finalised 88 valid questionnaires and 51 valid audio samples for analysis.

3.3. Text Preprocessing

According to Yang (2019), tokenisation of Chinese text often utilises methods such as conditional random field (CRF) or bidirectional encoder representation from transformers (BERT) [43]. However, traditional grounded theory software, such as NVivo, does not support such techniques. Consequently, this study incorporates an independent semantic analysis phase prior to coding to ensure effective text preprocessing. Text preprocessing refers to the process of converting materials obtained from semi-structured interviews into texts suitable for coding. It consists of four steps: translation, clarity, text mining, and keyword matching:

• Translation: The speech recordings of the interviews were transcribed into verbatim transcripts using iFLYRECv25.8.2250 software.
• Clarity: Noisy data were clarified, and invalid content such as meaningless filler words (e.g., ‘there is one’) were removed. Ambiguous or synonymous terms were standardised; for example, terms like ‘senior citizen’ and ‘old person’ were uniformly replaced with ‘older adults’.
• Text mining: Initially, newly combined terms not included in the built-in dictionary of the Weiciyun text-mining platform were manually identified from the verbatim transcript, such as the new compound ‘community canteen’ derived from ‘community’ and ‘canteen’. Next, the Weiciyun platform automatically extracted and merged potential new terms. The research team then manually reviewed and added relevant terms to the keyword library to support the subsequent coding. Keywords play a critical role in the data organisation process, as they accurately reflect the cognitive characteristics of the sentences and help identify core semantic content. In text mining, WeiCiyun’s fast and automated keyword extraction feature was used to easily and objectively identify high-frequency words; during keyword extraction, only nouns were retained. Typical high-frequency keywords from the residents group included ‘disaster’, ‘transportation’, ‘property management’, ‘culture’, ‘government’, and ‘hospital’. Similarly, high-frequency keywords extracted from the merchants group included ‘disaster’, ‘business’, ‘environment’, ‘public toilet’, ‘rent’, and ‘commercialisation’, reflecting the primary concerns of this group.
• Keyword matching: Subsequently, the extracted keywords were compiled into high-frequency word analysis results for residents and merchants, which were integrated separately to generate two distinct databases. These databases encompass all key entities of concern for both merchants and residents. Finally, the selected entities were retained and re-imported into NVivo software to retrieve the core textual content for subsequent coding.

3.4. Data Coding and Cognitive Result Output Based on Grounded Theory

This study employed the qualitative research methodology of grounded theory to conduct a verbatim analysis of the content obtained from semi-structured interviews. First, the core statements filtered during the text preprocessing phase were used as the raw text for grounded theory, which was divided into two groups: the merchants’ group raw text and the residents’ group raw text. Subsequently, NVivo was used to code the two raw text sets separately. The complete coding process of the merchants’ group raw text is referred to as the ‘merchants’ group coding’, while that of the residents’ group raw text is termed the ‘residents’ group coding’. The coding process of grounded theory comprises three stages: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. The concept of “coding” in GT was first introduced by Glaser and Strauss in The Discovery of Grounded Theory [44]. Open coding aims at identifying phenomena, defining concepts, and identifying categories. Axial coding seeks to clarify logic and establish relationships among categories. Selective coding was used to synthesise and refine the overall structure and logic [45]. Finally, the cognitive similarities and differences between the two users, as distilled from the selective coding stage, were integrated with the living–authenticity conceptual model to construct a corresponding strategic framework. This approach is similar to one that integrates grounded theory results with a paradigm model to establish a theoretical framework [38].

The cognitive output of this study integrates theories related to cultural heritage preservation, the living–authenticity framework, and cognitive mapping theory. It aims to reveal the cognitive similarities and differences between the two uses of mountainous historic districts along with their influencing factors, cognitive features and classifications, and cognitive evaluation. The specific methodology is as follows:

• The analysis of cognitive similarities and differences and their influencing factors was conducted using grounded theory, cognitive map theory, and human–environment relationship theory and methods. The extraction of cognitive differences and similarities refers to the identification of variations in individuals’ cognitive attributes regarding the environment, behavioural intentions, and spatiotemporal cognition. In the text, they are expressed through terms such as ‘focus’, ‘attention level’, and ‘environmental cognition level’. The analysis included the differences in cognition between different users in the same environment, within the same user group in the same location, between different users in the same location, and between different users in different locations.
• The study of cognitive features and classifications was conducted by combining grounded theory with the living–authenticity theory. The core dimensions and classification patterns of cognition were systematically extracted using coding and cluster analyses.
• The analysis of the cognitive evaluation was based on grounded theory and cultural heritage value assessment. In this study, ‘satisfaction’ and ‘expectation’ were used to describe cognitive evaluation. This approach analyses how cognitive cognition translates into overall assessments of a district, including both rational judgment and emotional feedback, thereby informing renewal strategies for mountainous historic districts.

4. Results

4.1. Findings on Cognitive Similarities and Differences Between Merchants and Residents

4.1.1. Open Coding Results

In processing the merchants’ texts, this study conducted an initial labelling of the base texts filtered through semantic analysis to form a conceptualised text. For example, ‘The sanitation in the old town is quite good, and there’s basically no littering’ was conceptualised as ‘satisfactory sanitary condition’. Another example is the use of standardised fire safety measures in our location. If fire safety was inadequate, combined with the large number of old and wooden houses, it would definitely lead to fire risks, so ‘fire personnel conducting regular inspections’ was conceptualised as ‘good fire safety’. A total of 119 conceptualised texts were generated using this method. In processing the residents’ texts, the base texts derived from the semantic analysis were labelled to form conceptualised texts. For instance, statements like ‘The business atmosphere here is acceptable’ and ‘I think the most satisfactory aspect is the tourism environment, followed by the decent business atmosphere. I don’t think anything in particular needs improvement’ were conceptualised as ‘favourable business atmosphere’. Using this approach, 105 conceptualised texts were generated.

4.1.2. Axial Coding Results

Axial coding involves further aggregation of conceptualised texts generated during open coding. Following this process, merchant coding yielded 17 subcategories, whereas resident coding yielded 18 subcategories. Relationships were also observed between subcategories. During the axial coding process, the subcategories of merchants and residents were compared based on their semantic relationships to identify the underlying logical connections. Finally, the subcategories were aggregated into six core categories for each group. The core categories identified in the residents’ coding were policy promotion, building safety and environmental quality, historic environment, public space and social interaction, neighbourhood infrastructure, and commuting traffic. The core categories identified in the merchant coding were building safety and environmental quality, infrastructure, economic industries, economic issues, logistics and transportation systems, and supportive policies.

4.1.3. Selective Coding Results

In the selective coding stage, all core categories were integrated to identify interrelationships and conduct comparative classification. This process resulted in two coding outputs: resident coding results (Figure 6) and merchant coding results (Figure 7). According to the results of semi-structured interview coding, several core categories appeared frequently in both the merchants’ and residents’ data, indicating shared cognitive cognition regarding the following aspects in mountainous historic districts: building safety and environmental quality, transportation policy-related core categories (policy promotion and supportive policy), and infrastructure-related core categories (infrastructure and neighbourhood infrastructure). Based on the questionnaire data, most respondents were over 44 years old. Field observations further revealed a pronounced trend of aging and relatively low income among residents and merchants in the district. Older and lower-income individuals were more susceptible to the challenges posed by mountainous topography and showed a higher dependency on policies and environmental conditions.

However, differences in the cognitive outcomes between users were evident. Some core categories appeared exclusively in either merchants’ or residents’ coding results. Specifically, historic environment (including subcategories such as architectural style and street pattern, intangible cultural heritage, and cultural dissemination) and public space and social interaction (including subcategories such as public participation, neighbourhood relations, and accessibility of public space) were present only in the residents’ coding results. Conversely, economic issues (including subcategories such as industrial and market issues and cultural and policy issues) and economic industries (including subcategories such as commercial publicity, business models, and business atmosphere) were found only in the merchants’ coding results. These findings suggest that residents’ cognitive focus was more oriented toward aspects related to daily living, such as the subcategories of intangible cultural heritage, cultural dissemination, and neighbourhood relations. In contrast, merchants’ cognitive focus centred more on economic-related aspects, such as the subcategories of commercial publicity and industrial and market issues.

4.2. Findings on the Impact of Location on User Cognition in Mountainous Historic Districts

In exploring the factors influencing user cognition in mountainous historic districts, the results derived from the semi-structured interviews and questionnaires revealed the overall cognitive patterns of residents and merchants regarding the district. However, these methods are insufficient for analysing how topography and location affect user cognition. Unique topography and locational elements exert varying cognitive effects on the daily lives and production activities of different users [46]. Therefore, this study further analysed the interview and questionnaire data by integrating geographic information (Figure 8).

In the study of cognitive differences and similarities between diverse users, it was found that location and topography primarily influenced the following categories: those related to transportation (involving subcategories such as private car/walking and freight traffic) and building safety (including subcategories such as built environment and building disaster prevention). Residents in Blocks B and D reported satisfaction with transportation, whereas merchants in Block B expressed dissatisfaction. Residents near Block A primarily focused on building safety and transportation and evaluated both negatively. Both residents and merchants in Block C rated transportation and building safety poorly. In summary, the locational and topographic features in mountainous locations led to significant cognitive differences between residents and merchants in terms of transportation, while their focus on building safety reflected shared cognition.

However, cognitive differences existed within the same user group. For example, under the subcategory building disaster prevention, divergent views were observed among residents:

• There are no fire hydrants or extinguishers nearby. I don’t know about other locations, but at least in this alley there are none. If a fire breaks out, fire trucks won’t be able to get here. (Resident-03, Block A)
• Fire protection is fine. The fire safety officer comes to check daily—it’s part of his job. (Resident-09, Block B)

Similarly, within the merchant user group, there were divergent cognitive cognitions toward the same focus:

• Overall, we are quite satisfied because the policy support is very good. (Merchant-03, Block A)
• Commercial competition is chaotic, and there are no real supportive policies. The administrative committee rarely mediates conflicts between merchants. (Merchant-07, Block A)

Therefore, in the study of location-related user cognition, attention was also given to differences in focus, attention level, and satisfaction within the same user group at the same location, as well as the same user group across different locations. Taking into account factors such as site accessibility, construction chronology, and surrounding natural environments, notable cognitive differences were observed in focus, such as sanitation (including subcategories like public facilities and municipal infrastructure), sunshine and ventilation (related to the built environment), building safety (covering both built environment and building disaster prevention), policy (referring to cultural and policy issues), and neighbourhood relations.

In the analysis of the same user group within the same location, it was found that in Block A, merchants exhibited divergent satisfaction levels with respect to policy. Some merchants expressed high satisfaction, while others offered opposing feedback. In Block C, the primary divergence within the resident group concerned neighbourhood relations, whereas users in Blocks B and D showed relatively consistent cognition. In summary, within the same location, cognitive evaluation differences among merchants were primarily related to policy, while for residents, they were centred on neighbourhood relations.

4.3. Construction of the Living–Authenticity Cognitive Classification Framework

Based on the living–authenticity theoretical framework model presented in Section 2.2 and the preceding coding results, this study developed a tailored living–authenticity conceptual framework of mountainous historic districts (Figure 9). By refining the cognitive features and applying the sub-hierarchy of the conceptual model to classify the results of open coding, two distinct classification frameworks were constructed: the living–authenticity classification framework for merchants in mountainous historic districts (Figure 10) and the living–authenticity classification framework for residents in mountainous historic districts (Figure 11). These frameworks, grounded in on-site observations and semi-structured interview data, reflect to a considerable extent the environmental cognition of different users in the mountainous Ciqikou Historic District, including their cognition and evaluations of the district’s intrinsic elements related to the authentic preservation of living heritage and living development. Through the processes of classification, induction, selection, and integration, the following results were obtained: First, the merchants exhibited a higher attention level toward living development elements than toward the authenticity of living heritage. Specifically, they were more focused on indicators such as transportation environment improvement, retail revenue growth, and public service facilities upgradation under the dimension of living development, as well as traditional architecture conservation under the authenticity of living heritage. The residents demonstrated relatively balanced attention levels toward both living development and the authenticity of living heritage. Among these, they paid particular attention to social satisfaction enhancement, fire disaster environment optimisation, and public service facilities upgradation under living development, as well as traditional architecture conservation under authenticity of living heritage. Second, the labels derived from the open coding results inherently contained the participants’ cognitive evaluations in terms of satisfaction and expectation. For example, a statement such as ‘business is doing well’ was categorised as ‘satisfied’, whereas ‘business is poor was categorised as ‘dissatisfied’. These labels were then reclassified according to the dimensions of satisfaction, dissatisfaction, and expectation. The overall cognitive evaluation of the current environment by the merchants toward both living development and the authenticity of living heritage appeared relatively neutral, with a near balance between satisfaction and dissatisfaction. However, their expectation level for living development was noticeably higher. According to the coding analysis, within the merchants’ cognitive classification framework, indicators such as retail revenue growth, culture–economy equilibrium, industrial economic support enhancement, public service facilities upgradation, cultural landscape environment enhancement, traditional cultural dissemination, and street pattern and character preservation were associated with relatively low satisfaction. In contrast, there was higher satisfaction toward indicators such as traditional architecture conservation and social impact amplification, while indicators like public participation enhancement and intangible cultural heritage support and continuity carried higher levels of expectation. The residents reported generally low levels of satisfaction regarding both living development and the authenticity of living heritage, with lower satisfaction observed toward living development. Nevertheless, they still expressed some positive feedback in terms of satisfaction and expectation for indicators such as social satisfaction enhancement, fire disaster environment optimisation, street pattern and character preservation, cultural landscape environment enhancement, and transportation environment improvement. The cognitive evaluation embedded in the living–authenticity conceptual model will serve as a guiding basis for the strategies and implementation dimensions of district protection and development.

5. Discussion

5.1. Interpretation of Cognitive Similarities and Differences Between User Groups in Mountainous Historic Districts

According to the coding results, there are cognitive similarities between two distinct users—residents and merchants—in mountainous historic districts. This finding aligns with previous studies, which indicated that both local residents and other users of historic districts desire reasonable development of local tourism [17]. Moreover, residents and merchants shared cognitive similarities regarding categories such as building safety and environmental quality, transportation, policy, and infrastructure, because most buildings in the Ciqikou Historic District are traditional wooden structures situated in complex topography. Residents and merchants share safety-related concerns about the structural integrity, durability, and disaster resilience of wooden buildings. Additionally, residents require convenient access for daily travel, and merchants depend on accessible routes to transport goods. These findings are consistent with the existing literature, which also identifies cognitive similarities between different users regarding elements such as transportation and environmental quality [11]. Furthermore, the completeness of infrastructure affects both the daily lives of residents and the experiences of tourists, resulting in shared cognition of infrastructure between merchants and residents [47]. Additionally, policy-related categories (e.g., the subcategories industrial support and cultural and policy issues), which play a crucial role in the development and governance of mountainous historic districts. These policies not only affect the preservation of historic district features but also significantly shape the environmental cognition of both residents and merchants. Such policies encompass aspects such as disaster response, social security, community services, and industrial support. This conclusion is consistent with the existing literature, in which the Badaling section of the Great Wall was used as a case study to examine how policy affects the preservation of cultural heritage, the development of tourism, and its impact on local merchants [20]. The latter explored the relationship between current conditions and policy in the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and the Cook Islands, analysing how the balance between internal and external policy incentives influences local culture and residents’ lives [48].

According to the questionnaire data on age and income, cognitive similarities were found between residents and merchants in mountainous historic districts, and further analysis revealed that most residents and merchants belonged to the low-income, middle-aged, and older adults groups. Steep topography significantly affects the mobility of older adults, whereas low-income individuals primarily rely on walking and public transportation for their daily commute. Consequently, they are more sensitive to topography and have a greater need for accessible public infrastructure. This is consistent with a previous study [49] that noted that low-income populations in Detroit have a greater demand for convenient transportation and well-developed public service systems. Furthermore, both merchants and residents who are older adults or low-income exhibit heightened sensitivity to policies. This is because of their economic vulnerability, reliance on social and cultural structures, and limited adaptability to policy changes. This finding aligns with previous research that emphasises the critical importance of transformative social policies for vulnerable groups [50].

Cognitive differences also exist between residents and merchants in mountainous historic districts; the findings in the Ciqikou Historic District align with the previous literature [17], which observed that residents tend to focus more on daily functions and community activities within the district, such as convenience, a cultural sense of belonging, and the right to use public spaces. By contrast, merchants are more concerned with the visual appearance and cultural ambiance of the district, aiming to enhance tourist experiences, prolong visitor stays, and boost consumption by optimising infrastructure and securing policy support. Furthermore, in line with past studies [51], residents and merchants exhibited substantial differences in attention levels and satisfaction with a shared focus, such as transportation and policy. In the context of the Ciqikou Historic District, residents were more concerned about travel convenience, accessible facilities, and the safety of their living spaces. Particularly, they expressed high attention and low satisfaction with the rerouting issues and congestion caused by the renovation of widened pedestrian streets. In contrast, merchants emphasised the importance of optimising visitor flow and maintaining efficient logistics routes to increase foot traffic and enhance business operations. Ultimately, the differing needs of residents and merchants regarding resource utilisation and spatial functions within the district result in divergent perspectives on its development. Government policies often strike a balance between cultural preservation and commercial development; in practice, implementation may lean disproportionately toward one side. However, based on the coding results from the semi-structured interviews, the current development trajectory of the Ciqikou Historic District clearly leans toward a homogenised tourism business model. Policies driven by this model may compress residents’ living spaces and erode their sense of belonging. The residents expect policymaking processes to be more responsive to their voices, for example, through community participation and implementation oversight, to ensure the protection of their direct interests.

In summary, the cognitive similarities between different users centre on the desire to improve both the living and business environments alongside the historic district’s renewal. They also shared hope for enhanced basic policy support, which could contribute positively to the sustainable development of the district. The cognitive differences between residents and merchants can be attributed primarily to three factors: different usage demands, internal group structural diversity, and the influence of policy orientation. From a societal perspective, fostering dialogue platforms between residents and merchants could facilitate collaboration and balance divergent interests during historic district renewal. Targeted community programs should address the distinct needs of both groups, aligning residential well-being with sustainable business development. From a governmental perspective, differentiated policy measures that account for variations in usage demands, group structures, and economic conditions are essential. Increasing transparency and public participation in policymaking would enhance the relevance and acceptance, while balancing cultural preservation with economic vitality could help avoid the pitfalls of a homogenised tourism-oriented model.

5.2. Discussion on the Influence of Location on User Cognition

Mountainous topography is a defining characteristic of the Ciqikou Historic District. The impact of topography on user cognition is undeniable [12]. The diverse topographic characteristics across different locations within the Ciqikou Historic District—such as elevational differences, narrow alleyways, and varying slopes—significantly influenced the cognition of both residents and merchants. These features lead to distinct differences in accessibility, building layout, and feasibility of infrastructure installation. This section specifically examines how mountainous topography and spatial location affect the cognitive differences between different users, variations within the same user group at the same location, and differences across locations within the same user group.

Firstly, the impact of mountainous topography and spatial location on the cognitive differences among different users is discussed. This study analysed the cognitive similarities and differences in transportation and building safety across different users at various locations. For residents, a flatter topography and broader streets enhance the convenience of movement. In contrast, for merchants, the coding results show a higher level of attention toward economic aspects, as tourist spending is fundamental to their livelihoods. Although flat topography and transportation convenience benefit logistics, they may also suppress tourist consumption desires and diminish the experience of spatial uniqueness due to homogenised tourism development and lack of local characteristics. For example, after renovation, the widened Pedestrian Boulevard is located far from the metro station and exhibits a relatively monotonous spatial layout, resulting in reduced consumer activity in that location. Thus, the cognitive differences in the transportation focus exist between merchants and residents across different locations. Transportation convenience and spatial interest influence route choices when walking [52]. Evidently, topography shapes spatial accessibility, environmental attractiveness, and functional suitability, which in turn differentially impacts residents’ convenience and merchants’ operational efficiency. Moreover, enhancing the building quality improves the structural safety and durability, whereas optimising the functional usage can contribute to the overall environmental improvement. Both merchants and residents exhibit high attention levels toward building safety. Buildings are among the core attractions in scenic districts and have a significant impact on the numbers [53]. According to the coding results, elements such as the commuting traffic emphasised by residents and the business atmosphere and freight traffic emphasised by merchants are all influenced by the aforementioned factors. Therefore, this phenomenon of mountainous topography and spatial location affecting cognitive differences among different users indicates that protection and development planning must strategically coordinate topographic conditions with a functional layout to balance the convenience and spatial identity; improving the overall environment is essential for the sustainable development of the Ciqikou Historic District.

Secondly, the impact of mountainous topography and spatial location on the cognitive differences within the same user group at the same location is discussed. This part specifically analyses the differences in policy cognition among merchants and differences in neighbourhood relations cognition among residents. For merchants situated in the same location, the primary reason for divergent cognition regarding the policy focus lies in policy favouritism (e.g., special support for century-old shops) and uneven distribution of resources, leading to strongly polarised cognitive evaluations. A study of the spatial coupling between the cultural relics of historical streets and commercial facilities in Shaoxing revealed that unequal resource allocation significantly impacted the renewal of historic districts [54]. Such conditions can create a ‘monopoly’, whereby supported merchants thrive, while others may be marginalised [55]. As for residents, the differences in their cognition of neighbourhood relations are primarily attributed to the unique spatial structure of mountainous residential historic districts, which affects their social experiences and thereby leads to cognitive divergence on this issue within the same location. This suggests that the spatial layout of streets and alleys in the Ciqikou Historic District exhibits heterogeneity owing to its topography [13]. Such heterogeneity often manifests in different spatial scales, forms, and accessibility across functional zones, all of which directly impact residents’ neighbourhood relations. A similar view was presented in a previous study on communities across different regions of Tianjin, which found that variations in public spaces significantly affected neighbourhood relations among residents [56]. Therefore, this phenomenon of cognitive differences within the same user group in the same location indicates that, when considering supportive measures for merchants, community planners should strive to balance resource allocation and address the specific needs of merchant groups, and in the protection and development of mountainous historic districts, special attention should be paid to the relationship between spatial form and resident behaviour to foster stronger neighbourhood relations.

Finally, the impact of different spatial locations on cognitive differences within the same user group is discussed—specifically, variations in merchants’ cognition regarding policy, sanitary, and sunshine and ventilation—and differences among residents concerning the building safety focus. The primary reason for merchants’ cognitive differences regarding policy and sanitary focuses lies in differences in block layout, the spatial positioning, and the geographic targeting of policy incentives. At present, the administrative committee of Ciqikou places greater emphasis on the rear street commercial location and core location, where the public service infrastructure is more complete, the sanitary conditions are better, and the policy support for merchants is stronger. Similarly, due to limited resources, the investment in and construction of infrastructure in disadvantaged communities are often insufficient [57]. The cognitive differences among merchants regarding the sunshine and ventilation focus are mainly due to variations in the spatial texture and building layout across different parts of the historic district, which influence local microclimates and, in turn, affect merchants’ cognition of sunlight and airflow. For example, the arrangement of buildings within a district affects the outdoor thermal environment and wind distribution around structures [58]. Cognitive differences among residents concerning building safety are mainly due to disparities in the construction age and structural design of buildings across different locations. Modern buildings offer better fire prevention and disaster resilience than do traditional structures. Consequently, residents living in the rear street location and along the newly renovated pedestrian street expressed higher satisfaction with building safety. Therefore, this phenomenon of cognitive differences within the same user group across different locations indicates that, for merchants in different locations, the block texture and building layout directly influence the overall district environment, whereas the allocation of policy incentives and commercial positioning further intensify the perceptual differences. This reflects the coupling relationship among space–policy–economy. This calls for caution against the tendency of policies and capital to favour specific locations, which may exacerbate cognitive fragmentation between users. For residents across different locations, the prioritisation of certain locations in protective planning and differentiated management approaches exposes structural weaknesses in fire safety and highlights the lag in social governance. Accordingly, designers and administrators must carefully coordinate and balance the relationships between infrastructure provision, building safety, and policy distribution in response to the diverse and complex needs of multiple users within the district.

5.3. Construction of the Living Development–Authentic Preservation Strategic Framework

Based on the analysis of different users’ cognitive similarities and differences, influencing cognitive factors, and cognitive evaluations regarding mountainous historic districts, this study establishes a living–authenticity cognitive classification framework. Building on this foundation and integrating the second hierarchy of the conceptual model—including authenticity of community life, spatial authenticity, living culture with authentic vitality, authentic vitality of historic environment, social vitality, economic vitality, and spatial vitality—a strategic framework for living development–authenticity preservation in mountainous historic districts is proposed. This framework includes tailored strategies for both residents (

Table 2. Living development–authenticity preservation strategic framework for residents.

Coordination Layer	Pathway Layer	Goal Layer
Living development	Spatial vitality	Fire disaster environment optimisation
		Transportation environment improvement
		Public service facilities upgrade
	Economic vitality	Resident income growth
		Socio-cultural-economic equilibrium
		Self-organised community-based support
	Social vitality	Livelihood policy support
		Social satisfaction enhancement
		Public participation
Living development and authenticity of living heritage	Living culture with authentic vitality	Traditional commercial revitalisation
		Intangible cultural heritage support and continuity
		Traditional cultural dissemination
	Authentic vitality of historic environment	Cultural landscape environment enhancement
		Liveable greening enhancement
Authenticity of living heritage	Spatial authenticity	Traditional architecture conservation
		Street pattern and character preservation
	Authenticity of community life	Population structure
		Traditional lifestyle of indigenous peoples
		Indigenous livelihood networks

) and merchants (

Table 3. Living development–authenticity preservation strategic framework for merchants.

Coordination Layer	Pathway Layer	Goal Layer
Living development	Spatial vitality	Fire disaster environment optimisation
		Transportation environment improvement
		Public service facilities upgrade
	Economic vitality	Retail revenue growth
		Culture–economy equilibrium
		Industrial economic support enhancement
	Social vitality	Social impact amplification
		Social satisfaction enhancement
		Public participation
Living development and authenticity of living heritage	Living culture with authentic vitality	Traditional commercial revitalisation
		Intangible cultural heritage support and continuity
		Traditional cultural dissemination
	Authentic vitality of historic environment	Cultural landscape environment enhancement
		Liveable greening enhancement
Authenticity of living heritage	Spatial authenticity	Traditional architecture conservation
		Street pattern and character preservation

), aiming to develop localised and evidence-based frameworks from the cognitive perspectives of different users to guide the preservation and sustainable development of historic mountainous districts. The renewal of historic districts should not only emphasise the conservation and adaptive reuse of physical spaces but also prioritise the transmission and revitalisation of intangible cultural heritage, thereby enhancing the resilience and vitality of historic districts in contemporary urban contexts.

Based on the living–authenticity classification frameworks for merchants and residents, further refinement was carried out by integrating the results of the open coding. For instance, the construction of the living–authenticity strategic framework for merchants distils public participation, social satisfaction enhancement, and social impact amplification from the merchants’ classification framework into the broader dimension of social vitality. Similarly, the formulation of the living–authenticity strategic framework for residents refines traditional architecture conservation and street pattern and character preservation from the residents’ classification framework into the dimension of spatial authenticity.

Within this strategic framework, two interdependent categories—authenticity preservation and living development—function as constraints and potential driving conditions. The framework emphasises the achievement of living development based on the preservation of authenticity. By maintaining the integrity of both physical space and intangible cultural heritage, the framework seeks to sustain traditional living scenarios and reinforce community cultural identity, while simultaneously enhancing the spatial functionality, urban policy adaptability, and regional economic vitality.

Authentic preservation focuses on the inheritance of the historic building character, residents’ living networks, and intangible cultural heritage activities. In contrast, living development centres on infrastructure optimisation, public service improvement, and the introduction of mixed-use development, with the aim of improving residential liveability and enhancing the economic performance of merchants. These two aspects are mutually reinforcing, preventing the loss of historical and cultural value due to excessive commercialisation, while avoiding the reduced vitality and modern adaptability caused by overly rigid conservation. Through community participation and policy support, the framework promotes the symbiotic development of residents and merchants, thus advancing the sustainable revitalisation of historic districts.

5.4. Implementation Dimensions of the Living Development–Authenticity Preservation Strategic Framework for Mountainous Historic Districts

Based on the conceptual framework of living–authenticity and the empirical investigation of the Ciqikou Historic District, this study proposes a set of implementation dimensions for the living development–authenticity preservation strategic framework applicable to mountainous historic districts. By coupling the spatial characteristics of mountain cities, cognitive differences between diverse users, cognitive classification and evaluation, and practical demands of living heritage preservation and development, this framework constructs an implementation framework spanning the macro to micro levels. It comprises three key dimensions: integrity–locality–user. The objective was to overcome the dilemmas in the protection and development of mountainous historic districts and advance a more systematic understanding of historic district revitalisation based on multidisciplinary support and multiscalar construction.

First, the construction of integrity in the dimension of the spatial governance system forms the institutional foundation for balancing preservation and development. This dimension emphasises two aspects: spatiotemporal and policy coordination. The authenticity of historic districts should be sustained by preserving the historical architectural styles and features, traditional street patterns, and everyday scenes. Simultaneously, historic districts must be integrated into a broader urban environment and economy. These should align with urban development trends and the demands of contemporary life by incorporating new functions, services, and business formats to achieve an organic fusion between people and the environment, traditions, and modernity. Relevant communities and municipal institutions must balance sociocultural preservation, resident livelihoods, and commercial development in policymaking to accommodate the diverse and complex needs and interests of different users. For instance, a district’s governance capacity can be comprehensively enhanced through integrated improvements in disaster response, social security services, and industrial support. Governments should also encourage community participation to ensure equity and voices among various users during district development.

Second, strengthening the locality dimension through adaptive reuse mechanisms is a key pathway to sustaining a district’s intrinsic vitality. Mountainous historic districts differ significantly from their plains’ counterparts in terms of topography, transportation, and building layouts. Therefore, regeneration approaches developed for flat urban locations are often not applicable in mountainous contexts. Renovation and design strategies must be adapted to the unique topographic and locational characteristics of mountainous environments, particularly with respect to the differences in elevation, narrow alleyways, and steep gradients. These conditions call for the optimisation of circulation routes and infrastructure planning. For example, based on the preservation of historic buildings and block textures, more rational and age-friendly low-mobility mountain systems and public transportation networks should be implemented. Additionally, spatial elements that reflect mountain cultural diversity and historical layers must be integrated to avoid neglecting or homogenising the local identity. The infrastructure should also be improved in spatially advantageous locations such as scenic viewpoints and overlooked spaces. Furthermore, mountain courtyards and culturally significant spaces should be optimised to enhance their publicness and comfort, thereby improving the overall environmental quality of the district.

Third, improving the user dimension through collaborative participation mechanisms is a core guarantee for achieving pluralistic co-governance. Every user group plays an indispensable role in the development of the historic mountainous districts [8]. To reconcile the interests of multiple actors, it is necessary to establish a collaborative platform supported by comprehensive organisational management guided by sustainable long-term effectiveness. This should be achieved through dynamic adjustments and incremental small-scale implementations of protection and development processes. In this study, the user-based strategies primarily targeted long-term residents and merchants within the district. For residents, the focus is on enhancing daily convenience, particularly for older adults and low-income groups. Measures should include improving accessibility through barrier-free infrastructure and public transportation systems, reinforcing a sense of belonging, and optimising the accessibility and effectiveness of public spaces and service facilities. For merchants, key strategies include enhancing promotional methods, introducing mixed-use development, and offering policy incentives, such as rental subsidies and tax reductions, to improve economic performance. However, a balance between commercial development and cultural preservation must be maintained. Efforts should also be made to enrich cultural identity through the protection and revitalisation of non-standardised century-old stores as well as to support the emergence of new industries.

In mountain districts where commercial development has sometimes overshadowed residents’ interests, it is vital to promote balanced development through community co-governance and environmental co-management, thereby fostering stronger interactions and cohesion between merchants and residents. Policy incentives should consider the interests and needs of both groups to ensure that residential and small-scale commercial activities are not compressed excessively. Finally, shared user concerns such as building safety, environmental quality, transportation, and infrastructure should be prioritised in improvement efforts.

5.5. Limitations and Future Study Directions

This study had certain limitations in its theoretical framework and analytical scope. First, although efforts were made to include all permanent residents within the core protection location of the Ciqikou Historic District, the overall sample size remained relatively limited because of the small number of long-term residents in the district. Future research should expand to include multiple historic district sites, enabling comparative studies on cognitive evaluations across various spatial locations and characteristics of mountainous historic districts. Second, this study focused solely on the resident and merchant groups that are most closely associated with daily use and direct interests. Other users and stakeholders, such as tourists and government authorities, have not yet been addressed. Subsequent research will incorporate these additional groups and aim to establish a more inclusive multi-stakeholder cooperation platform. Third, this study adopted grounded theory as its methodological foundation, which inherently carries certain limitations in terms of its generalisability and interpretive subjectivity [59]. For example, the grounded theory approach is subject to limitations such as potential researcher intervention during the coding process, the absence of dynamic and diachronic analyses, and the inherent complexity of coding procedures. Fourth, in the analysis of textual data, the application of Weiciyun text-mining methods to Chinese text still faces uncertainties related to tokenisation, which may result in the inadequate extraction of semantic information. Future studies should incorporate web-based big data and artificial intelligence technologies to construct a more comprehensive district evaluation system and analyse environmental cognition data. This includes the use of advanced text analysis methods such as tokenisation modules in deep learning models (e.g., BERT). Fifth, as research on the Living Development–Authentic Preservation Theory remains in its nascent stage, its integration with historic districts requires further empirical investigation and practical validation to substantiate its contribution to knowledge and policy formulation. Ongoing research on the cognitive diversity of mountainous historical district spaces and the interactive needs of diverse users will further integrate multidisciplinary approaches and technological tools. This will help address current limitations and enhance the theoretical framework, thereby providing more robust guidance for the preservation and development of historic districts.

6. Conclusions

Compared to historic districts in flat terrains, mountainous historic districts face more severe dual challenges of authentic preservation and living development. Focusing on the cognitive influencing factors and underlying causes associated with two distinct users, residents and merchants, this study takes the Ciqikou Historic District, located in a mountainous city in China, as a case study and employs a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. It further proposes a living development–authenticity preservation strategic framework, along with its corresponding implementation dimensions. Based on semi-structured interviews and questionnaire data and through grounded theory coding and classification under the framework of the living–authenticity theory, the following key findings were obtained.

First, residents and merchants have similar cognitive focuses on building safety and environmental quality, transportation, policy-related aspects (policy promotion and supporting policy), and infrastructure-related aspects (infrastructure and neighbourhood infrastructure). However, they exhibit cognitive differences in life-related focuses (such as intangible cultural heritage, cultural dissemination, and neighbourhood relations) and economy-related focuses (such as commercial publicity and industrial and market issues).

Second, the merchant group does not display a clearly positive or negative attitude toward the current state of living development and authenticity of living heritage but shows relatively high expectations for future living development. In contrast, residents expressed overall lower satisfaction with both dimensions, and their dissatisfaction with living development was greater than that with the authenticity of living heritage indicators.

Third, residents who reside in locations with steep topography, traditional building forms, and historical block patterns tend to be more concerned with safety, comfort, and neighbourhood relations. In contrast, merchants in the same locations relied more on the appeal of traditional spaces and exhibited divergent evaluations of policy support and sanitary infrastructure. They are also concerned about how the mountainous topography affects business operations.

The classification results derived from the coding of semi-structured interviews and questionnaire data among different permanent users provide a dynamic perspective for reevaluating user cognition, satisfaction, and future expectations in historic districts that have undergone initial rounds of conservation and renewal. Based on the “Living Development–Authenticity of Living Heritage Preservation” strategic framework, this study innovatively constructs an association framework between the multidimensional characteristics of mountainous spatial elements and cognitive differences. The synergistic strategy integrating “Authenticity Preservation of Living Heritage” with “Living Development” has enabled the regeneration of mountainous historic districts to achieve an organic unity of “daily vitality” and “cultural character”. This approach transforms the “historical authenticity” of heritage into “intrinsic vitality,” establishing an implementation framework across three dimensions: “integrity–locality–user.” The framework progresses from constructing a spatial governance system at the “integrity dimension” to strengthening adaptive reuse mechanisms at the “locality dimension” and, further, to perfecting collaborative participation models at the “user dimension.” This achieves renewal objectives of “balance, vitality, and co-governance,” providing novel design approaches for enhancing the spatial quality of alleys and streets in mountainous historic districts. Furthermore, it establishes a revitalisation paradigm for the sustainable development of other historic districts by promoting development within conservation and inheritance within development.