Single-clan settlements and multiple-clan settlements: a case study based on the evolution of spatial fractals in four traditional villages in the Xianggan region of China

Compared with those in other Chinese provinces, the villages in Hunan and Jiangxi are characterized by complex clan networks. Our purpose was to elucidate the complexity and hierarchical changes in the evolution of clan-organized settlement patterns and the spatial fractal structure of traditional villages. Box-counting dimension analysis, which is based on fractal theory, was used to evaluate the evolution of four villages in Hunan and Jiangxi, China. Our findings indicated that (1) both single-clan and multiclan villages exhibit a spatial fractal pattern; (2) the fractal dimension of individual buildings is greater than that of building groups and the village as a whole; and (3) the self-similarity fractal dimension is greater for single-clan villages than for multiclan villages. These findings establish a connection between the restoration needs of traditional villages and the potential application of the self-similarity principle. They support a hierarchical approach to conservation, beginning with individual architectural units to preserve the villages’ original authenticity. Moreover, the observed fractal differentiation revealed the fundamental clan-cultural logic underlying traditional village spaces. This logic elucidates the potential of leveraging each village’s unique clan culture to counteract the homogenization of village space development, thereby revitalizing the grassroots dynamics of village spatial development.