Xuqi Wang

Understanding the spatial distribution patterns and siting characteristics of traditional villages provides an important basis for informing their conservation and spatial planning. This study employed geographic information system (GIS)-based spatial analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and clustering analysis to investigate the spatial distribution patterns, environmental associations, and siting typologies of traditional villages in the Taihu Basin. The results revealed that traditional villages in the Taihu Basin exhibited a spatial pattern characterized by large-scale clustering and localized scattered distributions, with their spatial distribution patterns and siting characteristics significantly associated with topographic, climatic, and hydro-ecological conditions. The siting of traditional villages was closely associated with variations in topographic, climatic, and hydro-ecological conditions. Different environmental factors jointly contributed to the formation of differentiated siting patterns of traditional villages. Among these factors, topographic and climatic characteristics showed relatively high contributions to distinguishing overall environmental variations, whereas hydrological conditions reflected the strong spatial association between traditional villages and regional water systems in the Taihu Basin. Based on the results of PCA and clustering analysis, traditional villages in the Taihu Basin were classified into three major siting typologies: mountainous steep-slope humid villages, plain waterfront warm–humid villages and plain gentle-slope sunny villages. This study revealed the environmental adaptation patterns underlying traditional village siting at the basin scale, providing scientific insights for traditional village typology identification, regional conservation, and spatial planning.

Existing studies on cultural landscape genes in traditional villages have largely focused on the identification of objective elements, while paying insufficient attention to the associations between tourists’ subjective perceptions, Place identity, and Satisfaction. Taking the five nationally recognized traditional villages in Wuxi, China, as case studies, this study constructs an association model linking cultural landscape gene perception, Place identity, and Satisfaction. The model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling based on 392 tourist questionnaires. The results indicate that Perceived Environmental Character, Perceived Settlement Morphology, Perceived Architectural Characteristics, and Perceived Cultural Attributes are all significantly and positively associated with both Place identity and Satisfaction. Place identity is also significantly and positively associated with Satisfaction. In terms of the standardized path coefficients, Perceived Settlement Morphology shows a relatively strong association with Place identity (β = 0.285), while Perceived Architectural Characteristics shows a relatively strong association with Satisfaction (β = 0.257). The model explains 41.2% of the variance in Place identity and 54.1% of the variance in Satisfaction. Both the direct paths between the four dimensions of cultural landscape gene perception and Satisfaction and the indirect paths through Place identity are statistically significant, indicating that Place identity plays a partial mediating role. This study extends Cultural Landscape Gene Theory from the identification of objective landscape elements to the levels of tourist perception and tourism evaluation, and reveals that Place identity may constitute a psychological pathway linking cultural landscape perception with Satisfaction. In practice, the perceptibility of village spatial patterns, architectural appearance, environmental characteristics, and cultural content should be comprehensively maintained to enhance tourists’ Place identity and overall experience evaluations.

In the context of the global tourism industry’s transition towards an experience economy, rural tourism destinations possess abundant natural and cultural resources. However, a cognitive gap remains between the perspectives of expert planners and the perceived needs of visitors. This study hypothesises that this cognitive disparity is a key factor constraining the perceptible transformation of resource value. In order to address this discrepancy, a dual “expert-visitor” evaluation model was developed, utilising the Nangong Lake Scenic Area in Shaanxi Province as a case study. The expert perspective encompasses the evaluation of indicator importance, while the visitor perspective focuses on the extent of divergence among visitors with regard to each indicator. The analysis indicates that the fundamental cause of the cognitive discrepancy between experts and visitors is the disparity in their respective priorities. Experts place significant emphasis on planning and development, while visitors prioritise immediate experiences. This discrepancy in priorities hinders the effective conversion of resource endowments into perceived value. These cognitive differences manifest further within the scenic area as: weak resource narratives, insufficient spatial integration, imbalances between service supply and demand, and inadequate conversion of ecological value. The proposed study outlines four strategic approaches to optimise the experience of cultural themes, enhance the efficiency of spatial pathways, improve accessibility to service facilities, and establish visual representations of ecological landscapes. This framework has been developed for the purpose of supporting the design optimisation of the Nangong Lake Scenic Area. In addition, it provides an evaluation framework for identifying cognitive differences in the planning, design, and operational management of similar rural tourism destinations. The overarching aim of this framework is to promote a shift from a resource-supply-oriented to a demand-responsive model.

Micro-scale waterfront spaces play a critical role in contemporary urban regeneration by supporting everyday activities and place-based experiences. However, existing studies often rely on linear evaluation approaches and insufficiently address the asymmetric effects of functional, environmental, and cultural attributes on residents’ landscape satisfaction. This study investigates the satisfaction structure of micro-scale waterfront spaces along the Grand Canal in Wuxi, China, with a particular focus on nonlinear demand mechanisms. A mixed-method framework integrating grounded theory, the Delphi method, and the Kano model was employed to identify key landscape attributes and classify their satisfaction effects. The results reveal a hierarchical satisfaction mechanism characterized by “basic–performance–attractive” attributes. Fundamental functional and environmental factors, such as accessibility, safety, water quality, and cultural authenticity, function as must-be attributes that primarily prevent dissatisfaction. Environmental comfort and social facilities act as one-dimensional attributes that linearly enhance satisfaction, while cultural narratives, memory-related elements, and ecological esthetics emerge as attractive attributes that significantly elevate emotional engagement when present. Sensitivity analysis further identifies priority intervention factors with the greatest impact on satisfaction improvement. These findings demonstrate the asymmetric nature of residents’ landscape satisfaction and provide a phased optimization framework for the sustainable regeneration of heritage-based micro-scale waterfront spaces, emphasizing basic reliability, experiential enhancement, and cultural resonance.