Sustainability Benefit Evaluation and Optimization of Rural Public Spaces Under Self-Organization Theory

Zhixiu Li, Shixi Cheng, Lin Xiao, Yangyang Wei and Tianchuan Fang ()
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Zhixiu Li: Architecture and Design College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
Shixi Cheng: Architecture and Design College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
Lin Xiao: Architecture and Design College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
Yangyang Wei: Architecture and Design College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
Tianchuan Fang: Architecture and Design College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 3, 1-34

Abstract: Agriculture-oriented rural areas represent one of the forms of specialized agricultural practices and economic development. Public spaces serve as critical carriers within the rural spatial system. Rural public spaces are divided into two forms: explicit spaces and implicit spaces. The interaction between these forms significantly influences the morphological evolution of rural public spaces. This study takes the ancient village cluster in Anyi, Nanchang City, China as a case study. By collecting POI (Point of Interest) data and conducting surveys on visitors’ landscape preferences, it employs a life circle spatial division method and the VEISD (Village Evaluation Indicators for Sustainable Development) entropy model to evaluate the sustainability benefits of rural public spaces. Based on the evaluation results, the study proposes a control and guidance method for public spaces under self-organization theory. This method leverages the interference effects of explicit rural public spaces on implicit spaces to optimize rural public spaces. The study focuses on the planning and renovation of public space nodes in Luotian Village. By adjusting the sub-indicator “Village Public Environment Construction D22”, it validates the scientific robustness of the systems analysis theory and the VEISD framework. By adjusting the spatial layout and attributes of a critical spatial node—the Ancient Camphor Tree Square in Luotian Village—within rural public space planning, the study advances the guidance and control of public spaces during the self-organization evolution of rural areas. It enhances the openness of spatial forms and the functional integration of public space nodes. The results demonstrate that this method can analyze the vitality characteristics of factors within subsystems through the layout and indicator system of rural public spaces. It also validates the findings via correlation tests with the demands for POI and landscape preferences, ultimately constructing the VEISD framework for rural public spaces. This research provides theoretical support for optimizing the resource transformation and utilization of rural public spaces, offering a reference model for the sustainable development of rural areas.

Keywords: rural areas; self-organization theory; public spaces; sustainability; benefit evaluation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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