The Research on the Construction of Traditional Village Heritage Corridors in the Taihu Lake Region Based on the Current Effective Conductance (CEC) Theory

This study focuses on constructing a heritage corridor for traditional villages in the Taihu Lake region, aiming to promote the cultural heritage preservation and sustainable development of these villages through innovative pathway design. Based on the spatial distribution characteristics of traditional villages across five cities surrounding Taihu Lake (Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, Huzhou, and Jiaxing) and the existing transportation network, this research integrates the Circuit Effective Conductance (CEC) theory with ArcGIS spatial analysis methods to optimize the pathways of the heritage corridor. The results show that the expected nearest neighbor distance of 307 traditional villages in the Taihu Lake region is 5245.61 m, with the actual nearest neighbor distance being 3385.60 m, a z-score of −11.85, and a nearest neighbor index of 0.645786, indicating that traditional villages in this region exhibit clustered distribution. Combined with kernel density results, a “dual-core–four zones–multiple scatter points” spatial structure of traditional villages in the Taihu Lake region is revealed, with Dongshan Island and Wujiang District serving as the primary and secondary cultural cores, respectively. By establishing a “dual-ring heritage corridor” spatial network, a stable pathway for village heritage preservation and cultural transmission has been formed, consisting of 137 heritage corridors. Meanwhile, the CEC model demonstrates high adaptability in generating circular heritage corridors, particularly in creating closed-loop structures around the lake, thereby enhancing the spatial connectivity of the corridors and facilitating the effective flow of cultural resources. Through the strategic design of outer and inner ring corridors, this study successfully links traditional villages in the Taihu Lake region and develops optimal travel routes. The study provides practical solutions for the protection, revitalization, and integration of cultural tourism in the region and offers a new perspective for constructing heritage corridors in lakefront geographies in China.