Comparing Two Vernacular Cave-Dwelling Courtyard Configurations in Yulin, Northern Shaanxi, China: A Typological and Space Syntax Approach

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Abstract
This study compares the geometric and visual–spatial characteristics of two courtyard cave dwellings in Yulin, northern Shaanxi: the Liu Family Courtyard in Suide and the Zhou Family Courtyard in Mizhi. Field surveys and architectural documentation were combined with QGIS-based geometric measurement and visibility graph analysis (VGA) in DepthmapX using an identical 0.5 m grid resolution. The Liu Family Courtyard has a higher openness ratio (41.3% versus 29.4%) and a lower building coverage ratio (24.3% versus 47.8%). It also records higher mean Visual Integration [HH] (17.07 versus 6.14), lower Visual Mean Depth (1.64 versus 2.46), and a larger mean Isovist Area (274.94 m2 versus 58.06 m2). These results characterize it as an open, courtyard-dominated, and visually integrated configuration. The Zhou Family Courtyard is denser, more subdivided, and visually layered. This exploratory dual-case comparison illustrates the value of integrating geometric morphology and visibility analysis at the compound scale and offers a reproducible framework that can be tested in other courtyard-based vernacular and heritage building types.

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