Sustainability Evaluation of Regionally-Characteristic Traditional Village Cultural Landscape

With the advancement of urbanization and tourism, traditional village cultural landscapes face risks of disintegration and sustainability threats. This study adopts a regionality- and sustainability-based perspective to construct a four-dimensional evaluation framework—environmental, economic, social, and cultural. It analyzes key challenges under tourism development and explores sustainable transformation pathways for cultural landscapes, particularly in terms of cultural expression and experiential aspects, aiming to support the preservation and development of East Asian traditional village landscapes. First, the study defines the core concepts of “regionality,” “sustainability,” and “traditional village cultural landscapes” through a literature review, thereby establishing the theoretical foundation. On this basis, 15 evaluation indicators were identified and, combined with two rounds of Delphi expert consultation, a multidimensional evaluation framework suitable for regional traditional village landscapes was constructed. This framework was then applied in an empirical analysis of six UNESCO World Heritage villages, systematically assessing the sustainability levels of each village and identifying region-specific influencing factors and improvement strategies. Results show strong sustainability in ecological, cultural, and experiential dimensions, with weaker performance in social participation and institutional support. Institutional capacity, market mechanisms, and community engagement are identified as key drivers. Through a comparative analysis of six UNESCO World Heritage villages, targeted recommendations are proposed to strengthen institutional support and community participation, providing theoretical and practical guidance for the sustainable preservation and development of traditional village landscapes.