Heritage corridor construction of classical gardens of Suzhou using minimum cumulative resistance model

Existing research lacks gardens’ holistic spatial pattern analysis, with corridor studies predominantly focus on tangible linear landscapes, neglecting culturally-driven selection approaches. This study analyzes classical gardens of Suzhou (CGS) spatial patterns and corridor construction within its urban fabric. This study utilizes ArcGIS Pro spatial analysis and the minimum cumulative resistance model to construct a hierarchical and categorical heritage corridor for CGS. The study reveals that the corridor exhibits a radial cluster with center-high/edge-low grading, concentrated in the historic urban core, exhibiting strong centrality. Spatial and functional variations exist significantly among corridor types. A “One Corridor-Three Zones-Four Nodes” framework is proposed by integrating their hierarchical and categorical systems. This study constructs a hierarchical and categorical corridor system for CGS, reinforcing the city-garden integration within Suzhou’s urban fabric and offers a replicable conservation-tourism framework.