A Syntactical Spatio-Functional Analysis of Four Typical Historic Chinese Towns from a Heritage Tourism Perspective

Historic Chinese towns (HCTs) increasingly prioritize tourism, with tourist-focused functions clustering in urban cores while cultural relics remain dispersed. This study reveals that heritage tourism shapes the spatio-functional distribution of HCTs, offering insights for land-use optimization. Using space syntax—a quantitative method to analyze spatial characteristics—the research systematically examined four UNESCO-listed towns: Pingyao, Lijiang, Kulangsu, and Wuzhen. Findings indicate that while tourist-oriented areas expand over time, cultural relics maintain a stable distribution, suggesting a need for balanced preservation strategies.

Liao, P., Yu, R., Gu, N., & Soltani, S. (2022). A Syntactical Spatio-Functional Analysis of Four Typical Historic Chinese Towns from a Heritage Tourism Perspective. Land, 11(12), 2181. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11122181