Search Results (56)

Although numerous studies have examined the spatial patterns of traditional villages and their driving factors, limited attention has been devoted to the transformation of tourism. This study focused on traditional villages in Shaanxi Province, employing geodetector and grounded theory methods to analyze their spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors. First, most traditional villages have not developed tourism. Only 11.98% reached the relatively mature tourism stage. Second, the spatial distribution of mature traditional tourism villages is scattered and primarily clustered in Liuba County, Mizhi County, and Jia County. Third, the factors influencing spatial distribution characteristics include resource endowment, transportation accessibility, and regional economic conditions. Among these factors, the level of traditional villages, village heritage values, and the local tourism environment show the strongest explanatory power. These findings can help enhance cultural resilience, promote economic transformation and upgrading, and support the sustainable development of traditional villages. Full article

China’s rapid urbanization has given rise to the phenomenon of “urban villages”, which are often regarded as chaotic fringe areas in traditional studies. With the rise of the concept of resilient cities, the value of urban villages as potential carriers of sustainable development has been re-examined. This study adopted research methods such as field investigations, in-depth interviews, and conceptual sampling. By analyzing the interlinked governance relationship between Xiamen City and the urban villages in the Bay Area, aspects such as rural housing improvement, environmental governance, residents’ feedback, geographical pattern, and spatial production were evaluated. A field investigation was conducted in six urban villages within the four bays of Xiamen. A total of 45 people in the urban villages were interviewed, and the spatial status of the urban villages was recorded. This research found that following: (1) Different types of urban villages have formed significantly differentiated role positionings under the framework of regional governance. Residential community types XA and WL provide long-term and stable living spaces for migrant workers in Xiamen; tourism development types DS, HX, BZ, and HT allow the undertaking of short-term stay tourists and provide tourism services. (2) These urban villages achieve the construction of their resilience through resisting risks, absorbing policy resources, catering to the expansion of urban needs, and co-construction in coordination with planning. The multi-cultural inclusiveness of urban villages and their transformation led by cultural shifts have become the driving force for their sustainable development. Through the above mechanisms, urban villages have become the source of resilience and sustainability of healthy cities and provide a model reference for high-density urban construction. Full article

Traditional villages are critical to preserving cultural heritage and promoting sustainable rural development. This study evaluates the development potential of 47 traditional villages in Jilin Province from the perspectives of spatial planning, architectural conservation, and rural real estate revitalization. A Development Potential Assessment (DPA) framework is constructed based on five dimensions: geographical position, cultural resources, socio-economic factors, natural ecology, and living environment. The AHP-entropy weighting method is applied to ensure objectivity in scoring, while kernel density analysis and coefficient of variation techniques identify spatial patterns and internal disparities. To further inform strategic planning and targeted investment, an Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA) model is introduced, aligning resource advantages with development performance. Key findings include the following: (1) significant spatial heterogeneity, with higher potential concentrated in the southeast and lower levels in the northwest; (2) cultural and socio-economic dimensions are the most influential factors in differentiating development types; and (3) a subset of villages shows a disconnect between resource endowment and realized potential, indicating the need for tailored design interventions and investment strategies. This research offers a visual and data-driven basis for differentiated revitalization strategies, integrating urban science methods, architectural thinking, and real estate development logic. It supports refined policy implementation, spatial design decisions, and the activation of underutilized rural assets through context-sensitive planning. Full article

Rural tourism is growing as travelers seek authentic experiences with local traditions, culture, and heritage. This form of tourism plays a key role in the sustainable development of rural areas by effectively utilizing rural resources. To ensure its continued success, best practices must be adopted to enhance the visitor experience while ensuring long-term viability. Research on rural tourism in the villages of Sremski Karlovci, Irig, and Vrdnik in Fruška Gora (Serbia) and Pienza, Montalcino, and San Gimignano in Tuscany (Italy), involving 357 tourists, identified four key factors influencing their experiences: ‘Organic Heritage’, ‘Authentic Comfort’, ‘Authentic Flavors’, and ‘Warm Farmstead’. These factors show that the motivations driving tourists to rural destinations and village accommodations are universal. However, Tuscan villages attract more tourists due to their superior infrastructure, diversified offerings, and strong international promotion, attracting wealthier tourists who tend to stay longer and spend more. Stakeholder research (58 participants) confirmed that Fruška Gora must improve infrastructure, diversify experiences, and strengthen promotional efforts to enhance sustainability and competitiveness. These changes are essential for the long-term success of rural tourism businesses in the future. Full article

The Yellow River Basin, a cradle of Chinese civilization, hosts traditional riverside villages that embody millennia of cultural and ecological heritage. Despite their significance, rapid urbanization and homogeneous rural development have precipitated landscape homogenization and cultural erosion, threatening these villages’ spatial integrity and cultural capital. Current research predominantly focuses on qualitative characterization of architectural heritage, neglecting quantitative assessments of agroecological synergies and systematic resource endowment analysis. This oversight limits the development of proactive conservation strategies tailored to the integrated cultural–ecological value of these villages, hindering their sustainable revitalization within China’s broader Yellow River Basin high-quality development strategy. Here, we develop a comprehensive framework integrating landscape characterization, value assessment, and conservation strategies for traditional villages along Shaanxi’s Yellow River. Using GISs 10.2 multi-criteria analysis, and field surveys, we construct a hierarchical landscape database and evaluate villages across cultural, ecological, and socio-economic dimensions. Our results reveal distinct spatial patterns, with 65% of historical structures clustered in village cores, and identify four landscape zones requiring targeted conservation. High-value villages (e.g., Yangjiagou) exhibit strong cultural preservation and ecological resilience, while lower-scoring villages underscore urgent intervention needs. We propose multi-scale protection strategies, including regional clustering and village-level tailored approaches, to balance conservation with sustainable development. This study fills the critical gap in systematic resource endowment evaluation by demonstrating how integrated cultural–ecological metrics can guide proactive conservation. Our framework not only safeguards tangible and intangible heritage but also aligns with national strategies for rural revitalization and ecological protection. By bridging methodological divides between qualitative and quantitative approaches, this research offers a replicable model for sustainable rural development in ecologically sensitive cultural landscapes globally, advancing the field beyond static preservation paradigms toward dynamic, evidence-based planning. Full article

The spatial morphology of traditional villages stems from prolonged interactions between socio-economic conditions and the regional natural environment under specific historical contexts. Over time, these settlements have acquired distinct spatial patterns through continuous adaptation to their surrounding ecosystems. Nevertheless, accelerated urbanization now exerts dual pressures—disrupting the spatial order and degrading natural ecosystems. In this context, an integrated analysis of the relationship between village spatial patterns and ecological conditions is essential for elucidating their formative mechanisms. The Xiangjiang River Basin is Hunan’s cultural core, and the spatial distribution of traditional villages is directly related to environmental variables. This study uses bivariate spatial autocorrelation and geographically weighted regression to investigate the relationship between the spatial distribution of traditional villages and ecological environmental appropriateness. The findings indicate the following: (1) The spatial distribution density of traditional villages in the Xiangjiang River Basin exhibits a negative correlation with the Ecological Environment Index (EEI), as evidenced by a Moran’s I value of −0.228. This suggests that traditional villages tend to be less concentrated in areas with a higher ecological suitability. (2) Among natural factors, the Relief Degree of Land Surface (RDLS), the Temperature Humidity Index (THI), and the Land Cover Index (LCI) display positive correlations with village density, with regression coefficients of 0.865, 0.003, and 11.599, respectively. In contrast, the Water Resource Index (WRI) shows a negative correlation, with a coefficient of −6.448, and (3) the impact of ecological suitability factors on village distribution is spatially heterogeneous: microtopographic variation is the primary driver in flat terrains, whereas the ecological carrying capacity exerts a greater influence in mountainous areas. These findings clarify the role of ecological suitability in shaping the spatial characteristics of traditional villages and provide a scientific basis for developing protection strategies that integrate ecological sustainability with cultural–heritage preservation. Full article

Amid global rural tourism growth and rural revitalization policies, traditional villages’ resource protection and tourism development have drawn international academic attention. To guide villages’ resource planning and management, this study constructed an evaluation index system of cultural, ecological, industrial, talent, and organizational amenities in traditional villages from the perspective of tourists’ perceptions using grounded theory and measured the spatial agglomeration differences, synergistic effects and their influencing factors of traditional village amenities by using location entropy, spatial autocorrelation, and gray correlation degree analysis. The results show that (1) the spatial distributions of cultural, ecological, industrial, and organizational amenities are more balanced, while talent amenities exhibit a more concentrated distribution. (2) The spatial concentration of amenities in traditional villages has a strong positive spatial correlation, the agglomeration level of the high-high type of concentration is distributed in clusters, the low–low type tends to be contiguous, and the low–high type is distributed sporadically around the high–high type; significant synergy between ecological and industrial amenities, and organizations play a supportive role in the spatial agglomeration of cultural, ecological, ecological and talent amenities. (3) Gross regional product, slope, and distance to 3A and above scenic spots significantly influence the spatial agglomeration of amenities. This study provides reference for the sustainable development of traditional villages from the perspectives of exerting agglomeration and radiation effects, synergistically promoting villages’ development, constructing the memory symbol system, and integrating the resource structural system based on the spatial agglomeration difference characteristics of traditional village amenities. Full article

Timber-adorned and rich in heritage, the traditional villages of central Hunan are famed for their wooden architecture, which is both a cornerstone of their cultural identity and a key driver of local tourism. The aim of this study is to evaluate the tourism development level and current status of these villages, providing insights for the enhancement and sustainability of tourism in similar ethnic settlements. This paper scrutinizes 18 villages in central Hunan, considering their resources, development context, and market conditions. A factor analysis-based evaluation system with 30 indicators was developed to assess tourism development potential. The findings indicate that the villages’ potential can be divided into high, medium, and low tiers. Tourism conditions are identified as the main stimulant for regional tourism growth. High-potential villages are scattered, with Da’an Village standing out due to its excellent transportation links; others are clustered in burgeoning tourism areas, notably around the Ziqujie terrace tourism district and Anhua County. Medium-potential villages are largely found in the Daxiong Mountain region, while low-potential villages lack a discernible distribution pattern. In light of these insights, this paper proposes development strategies tailored to the potential of each village, aimed at boosting tourism in central Hunan’s traditional villages and securing their long-term sustainable development. Full article

Converting traditional villages into ecovillages provides a sustainable path for rural development by integrating ecological, social, and cultural aspects. This study utilizes the Community Sustainability Assessment (CSA) tool from the Global Ecovillage Network to evaluate the potential of six villages in Bursa, Turkey, across coastal, lowland, and mountain typologies using 21 themes and 900 criteria. Within the scope of the research, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to the quantitative data obtained from the CSA using IBM SPSS V28. The results indicate that coastal villages show greater potential for transition to a more sustainable lifestyle, while mountain villages face challenges with resource management and infrastructure. The villages show strong cultural and spiritual resilience, having existed for centuries, but many ecological practices have been lost due to urban migration. Recommendations include creating a national ecovillage database, training experts, supporting local projects, and convincing villagers of the transformation’s benefits. This study highlights the significance of the CSA for measuring sustainability potential and suggests future research on traditional villages in various geographies, along with developing region-specific methodologies. This approach focuses on enhancing existing villages rather than starting new ecovillages from scratch. Full article

Rural tourism has become a crucial engine of economic growth in traditional villages, with numerous regions completing planning and development stages. However, along with the growth of tourism, challenges such as cultural conflicts, resource competition, and conflicting interests have emerged, threatening the long-term sustainability of tourism in these villages. Based on the unique characteristics of traditional villages, this study proposes a stakeholder-centered system design approach to address and improve these issues. This approach focuses on governing existing traditional village systems by constructing a stakeholder interest map through an analysis of the behavioral traits and interest demands of key stakeholders and identifying the main factors that hinder the flow of benefits. Furthermore, a large-scale symbiotic model is developed to explore the optimal path for the rebalancing of interests within traditional village systems. In terms of practical research, the study takes Gangtou Village in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, as a case study. Through interviews, expert consultations, and tracking experiments, the research comprehensively analyzes the interests and flows of stakeholders within the system. A symbiotic interest model is collaboratively established, and based on this model, a redesigned planning scheme for Gangtou Village is proposed. In the design validation phase, expert ratings and the Wilcoxon non-parametric test were employed to compare the sustainability of the new and old plans. The results indicate that the new plan outperforms the old one, thereby validating the feasibility of the proposed holistic system design approach. Full article

Traditional villages are intricate socio-spatial systems shaped by multi-scalar interactions encompassing natural, cultural, and hierarchical dimensions. Despite their significant cultural and ecological value, conventional unit-based conservation methods often overlook systemic interdependencies within and between villages, leading to spatial fragmentation, inefficient resource utilization, and the erosion of distinct cultural identities. To address these limitations, this study proposes a cluster-based protection framework, integrating complex network theory with GIS-supported spatial network analysis. Focusing on Rongcheng’s coastal villages in Shandong Province, the research develops a multi-scale analytical model, incorporating macro-regional clusters, meso-level village group dynamics, and micro-unit cultural nodes. By leveraging clustering effects, the model enhances connectivity, cultural synergies, and network resilience. The findings offer a systematic and scalable conservation strategy, providing actionable insights to align heritage preservation with regional development and ecological sustainability, while ensuring broad applicability across diverse geographical and cultural contexts. Full article

From the color geography perspective, a field investigation was conducted in the Minjiang River Basin, constructing a color index system of traditional villages. In Python, a random forest model was constructed to screen out important color indexes for traditional village color classification and explore its influence mechanism. Among eight color indexes, the important indexes are wall form and building face form, accounting for 30.50% and 19.40%, respectively. Based on this, the basin was divided into four color zones presenting color characteristics and eight color subzones presenting architectural features. The influence mechanism concerns dialect divisions that have shaped traditional villages of different color types, and the interconnection of water systems has promoted the connections among them. The application of traditional village colors in the new urban and rural planning can enhance local characteristics. Integrating the color resources of traditional villages contributes to the regional protection of culture and economic development. Full article

Traditional Chinese villages and architectural cultural resources are abundant. Against the backdrop of rapid development in contemporary socioeconomic and urbanization processes, rural construction is facing multiple challenges such as imbalanced urban–rural development, gradually fading cultural traditions, and disharmonious living environments. The cultural elements of rural architecture urgently need more systematic and effective protection, integration, and reuse. Therefore, the precise extraction of traditional architectural features and their translation applications in modern contexts are gradually becoming key issues in current research and practice fields. This study takes traditional architecture of the Goulou Cluster of Yue Dialects in Guangxi, China, as an example. Through field investigations and mathematical and GIS spatial analysis, architectural samples were identified and extracted typologically, and a database of traditional architecture was constructed, delineating architectural cultural zones and summarizing type characteristics to create a genealogy map. Based on the results of the architectural genealogy study, modern translation pathways for traditional architecture were proposed through spatial modeling, technical analysis, and iterative optimization. Modern translation experiments were conducted on selected typical villages and their traditional buildings, exploring the application model system of traditional architecture in modern contexts. This study not only deepens the scientific understanding of the genealogy zoning characteristics of traditional architecture in the Goulou Cluster of Yue Dialects in Guangxi but also provides a reference for the modern translation and optimization path of traditional architecture, providing important theoretical basis and application guidance for promoting the inheritance and innovation of rural culture, and realizing the protection and updating of rural architectural style. Full article

This study focuses on constructing a heritage corridor for traditional villages in the Taihu Lake region, aiming to promote the cultural heritage preservation and sustainable development of these villages through innovative pathway design. Based on the spatial distribution characteristics of traditional villages across five cities surrounding Taihu Lake (Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, Huzhou, and Jiaxing) and the existing transportation network, this research integrates the Circuit Effective Conductance (CEC) theory with ArcGIS spatial analysis methods to optimize the pathways of the heritage corridor. The results show that the expected nearest neighbor distance of 307 traditional villages in the Taihu Lake region is 5245.61 m, with the actual nearest neighbor distance being 3385.60 m, a z-score of −11.85, and a nearest neighbor index of 0.645786, indicating that traditional villages in this region exhibit clustered distribution. Combined with kernel density results, a “dual-core–four zones–multiple scatter points” spatial structure of traditional villages in the Taihu Lake region is revealed, with Dongshan Island and Wujiang District serving as the primary and secondary cultural cores, respectively. By establishing a “dual-ring heritage corridor” spatial network, a stable pathway for village heritage preservation and cultural transmission has been formed, consisting of 137 heritage corridors. Meanwhile, the CEC model demonstrates high adaptability in generating circular heritage corridors, particularly in creating closed-loop structures around the lake, thereby enhancing the spatial connectivity of the corridors and facilitating the effective flow of cultural resources. Through the strategic design of outer and inner ring corridors, this study successfully links traditional villages in the Taihu Lake region and develops optimal travel routes. The study provides practical solutions for the protection, revitalization, and integration of cultural tourism in the region and offers a new perspective for constructing heritage corridors in lakefront geographies in China. Full article

Rural Indonesian villages are defined by unique institutional dynamics in public service innovation, one of which manifests in juvenile justice administration where traditional governance meets modern legal structures. These institutional arrangements position villages as sites of public service innovation at the intersection of competing normative orders, especially regarding youth protection standards and cultural practice maintenance. We address patterns of public service innovation and institutional adaptation in rural juvenile justice systems through the systematic analysis of practices across five villages in East Java. Through consolidating stakeholder interviews and justice proceeding observations, our analysis shows how communities innovate in public service delivery by negotiating between formal requirements and informal mechanisms while integrating distinctive legal traditions and maintaining institutional legitimacy across multiple domains. The examination identifies two central patterns in public service development. First, processes of normative integration emerge through systematic institutional synthesis where communities innovate service delivery approaches while preserving cultural coherence. Second, these innovation processes correspond to variations in resource distribution, traditional authority configurations, and state presence across geographic and social contexts. We document how unspoken institutional practices and innovative service arrangements shape justice negotiations between community and state spheres, particularly in mediating youth protection within traditional normative frameworks of public service delivery. Full article