Haoyuan Guo

Traditional villages are one of the basic types of rural revitalisation and one of the important carriers of cultural inheritance. This research is based on the data of 53 traditional villages in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with the aid of the ArcGIS10.8.1 spatial analysis platform. The study identifies the spatial evolution characteristics from the spatial distribution type, distribution direction, distribution density, distribution balance, etc., and explores their influence mechanisms. The study shows that 1. the spatial structure of traditional villages in Xinjiang was analysed as a cohesive structure type by using the nearest neighbour index method, which shows the evolutionary characteristics of the agglomerative tendency to increase gradually. Among them, Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture and Turpan City have the highest degree of concentration. 2. The establishment and development of traditional villages in Xinjiang is mainly influenced by natural factors such as geographical features and hydrography. Social factors such as population distribution, transport conditions and economic progression have very important implications for the preservation and continuation of traditional villages.

To improve the unbalanced development in the western region, it is necessary to explore the construction level of the human settlement. Regarding social well-being, this paper uses data spanning the period from 2015 to 2020 and develops a system of indicators to assess human settlements in western China along five dimensions: Health and Safety, Social Development, Economic Conditions, Environmental Health, and Working Conditions. The study concludes that, firstly, Yunnan possesses the highest human settlement quality index with a relative proximity of 0.478, while Qinghai has the lowest, with a human settlement quality index of 0.209. Secondly, concerning temporal dimensions, the spatial distribution pattern of human settlement quality in western China generally exhibits a southeast high and northwest low pattern. In addition, coordinated, stable, and sustainable development is crucial to maintaining the advantage of human settlement quality. Thirdly, there is not necessarily a positive correlation between economic development and human settlement quality. Therefore, in terms of distribution types, Sichuan and Inner Mongolia belong to the “high human settlement quality-high economic level” type, whereas Shaanxi, Chongqing, Xinjiang, and Ningxia belong to the “low human settlement quality-high economic level” type. Yunnan, Gansu, and Guangxi are in the “high human settlement quality-low economic level” category, while Guizhou, Tibet, and Qinghai belong to the “low human settlement quality-low economic level” category.