Spatial Structure and Corridor Construction of Railway Heritage: A Case Study of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region

Railway heritage corridors, which integrate cultural history and natural landscapes, face limitations within the conventional “axis extension” construction model, where protection zones are radiated from existing railway lines. This approach hinders the development of cross-regional heritage networks and lacks scientific quantification in boundary delineation. This study proposes an innovative spatial planning paradigm for railway heritage corridors in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region, integrating railway heritage with the urban environment. Utilizing the minimum cumulative resistance model, a multidimensional resistance surface was created to identify potential corridor patterns based on centrality. Circuit theory quantified global connectivity, and statistical methods defined corridor widths. The case study identified 19 sources and 42 corridors across 54,399.42 km2, with an average length of 111.48 km and width of 9.24 km. These corridors form a closed network radiating from multiple centers, offering guidance for BTH tourism planning and heritage management.