The Relationship between Spatial Behavior and External Spatial Elements in Ancient Villages Based on GPS-GIS: A Case Study of Huangshan Hinterland, China

Guowei Wang (), Ashenafi Mehari and Paolo Vincenzo Genovese
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Guowei Wang: School of Design Art & Media, Nanjing University of Science & Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Ashenafi Mehari: School of Architecture, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Paolo Vincenzo Genovese: College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 9, 1-34

Abstract: Under rural revitalization and rapid construction in China, the mismatch between contemporary rural communities and villagers’ space behavior habits has attracted widespread attention. This study proposes and practices a design methodology for a newly built rural community based on spatial elements and their relationship with the behavior of local ancient villages. We explore the relationship between the two by applying drone-tech aerial photos, GPS, and ArcGIS. The results indicate that: (1) Ancient villages have abundant external spatial elements different from urban communities. Each space element of the ancient village has a specific function corresponding to the villagers’ daily life needs. (2) Village space elements are outcomes of the sociocultural process, and their topological structure is not random but follows their use based on hours of the day. (3) About 94.6% of space use behavior in the case of ancient village residents is associated with five space elements. (4) Updating the external spatial elements of ancient villages under the demands of contemporary life makes the application of spatial elements not only continue the villagers’ natural life process, but also satisfy the demands of the contemporary way of life on the external space. This study proposes the characteristics of the relationship between ancient village spatial behavior and external spatial elements through scientific analysis methods, which can provide references for contemporary rural planning and help to solve the mismatch problem between contemporary rural communities and villagers’ behavior habits.

Keywords: ancient village; rural planning; spatial behavior; external space; space elements (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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