Spatial Morphological Characteristics of Ethnic Villages in the Dadu River Basin, a Sino-Tibetan Area of Sichuan, China

Hai Xiao, Congli Xue, Jiahao Yu, Chuwei Yu and Guoqiang Peng ()
Additional contact information
Hai Xiao: College of Architecture and Urban-Rural Planning, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611800, China
Congli Xue: College of Architecture and Urban-Rural Planning, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611800, China
Jiahao Yu: College of Architecture and Urban-Rural Planning, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611800, China
Chuwei Yu: College of Architecture and Urban-Rural Planning, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611800, China
Guoqiang Peng: School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 9, 1-16

Abstract: Analysis of spatial patterns and driving factors of different ethnic villages under regional integration is important for the conservation and development of ethnic villages. This article takes seven multi-ethnic villages in the Dadu River Basin of Ganzi Prefecture as an example; we employ a quantitative model of spatial syntax based on the theory of figure–ground relationship to link the tangible and intangible spaces. The results reveal the logical context and formation mechanism among the overall layout, residential architecture, and public space of the villages. The findings of this study are as follows: (1) The site of different ethnic villages reflects commonality. (2) The spatial configurations of the villages are significantly influenced by the surrounding natural environment, with significant differences. Cluster-concentrated villages exhibit the smallest expansion trend, rich spatial levels, and strong ethnic territoriality; strip-intensive villages have the largest scale and the strongest permeability; and radiation-dispersion villages have variable expansion directions and architectural relationships among residents. (3) Both of the participants’ selection behaviors and residential spaces constitute the internal structure for the ethnic culture, which is driven by the humanistic spirit and force of social order, making the spatial morphology a diversified and multi-layered characteristic. (4) The rural space has gradually changed from a single residential unit to a complex unit with multiple functions. The findings extend the scope of research to ethnic villages in watersheds and provide a theoretical and practical basis for the development of other similar rural villages.

Keywords: Dadu River Basin; ethnic villages; spatial morphology; figure–ground relationship; syntactic structure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/9/1662/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/9/1662/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:9:p:1662-:d:1224990

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().