Planning and Construction Strategies for Infrastructure in Traditional Villages of the Grand Canal from the Perspective of Villager Needs

The traditional villages along the Jiangsu section of the Grand Canal are facing the threat of decline and disappearance due to the decline of the canal transportation function and the advancement of urbanization, and it is urgent to study the protection and renewal of these villages. Based on the needs of villagers, this study aims to explore the planning and construction strategies of traditional village infrastructure in the Jiangsu section of the Grand Canal. Through a literature review, field investigation, and qualitative and quantitative analysis methods, this paper conducts in-depth research and data analysis on the status quo of six types of infrastructure in 29 traditional villages, including road traffic, water supply and drainage, garbage sanitation, energy utilization, postal communication, and ecological disaster prevention. The research results show that, although the infrastructure construction has made some progress, there are still problems such as unreasonable planning, low construction quality, and the lack of cultural characteristics, which cannot fully meet the actual needs of villagers. Through a regional comparative analysis, it is found that the infrastructure condition of the Jiangnan Canal section is better than that of the Huaiyang Canal section and Middle Canal section, but they all face challenges of protection and renewal. Based on the needs of villagers, this study puts forward corresponding protection and optimization strategies, which provide theoretical guidance and practical methods for the sustainable development of traditional village infrastructure, and it has important reference significance for the infrastructure protection and development of traditional villages in other regions.