Evaluation of Residents’ Satisfaction with Cultural Spaces in Historic Districts Based on ERG Theory—A Case Study of Longweiguan Historic and Cultural District in Dali City, China

Amid urbanization, historic districts serve as key carriers of urban cultural memory, confronting dual challenges of integrating tradition with modernity and balancing cultural inheritance with spatial renewal. Enhancing residents’ satisfaction with cultural spaces is crucial for improving their quality of life and promoting the sustainable development of urban culture. However, existing research lacks systematic analysis of the intrinsic relationship between residents’ needs and spatial satisfaction, focusing on holistic conservation or spatial design. Using ERG Theory and taking Longweiguan Historic and Cultural District in Dali, China, as the case, this study explores how residents’ needs and cultural space satisfaction interact via theoretical construction and empirical analysis. It establishes a 20-index satisfaction evaluation system, adopting field surveys, in-depth interviews and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) for quantitative analysis. Findings: (1) Residents reported moderate-to-high overall satisfaction with cultural spaces, where relatedness needs demonstrated the most significant impact on satisfaction, while growth needs scored lowest. (2) Existence needs directly affect satisfaction through basic elements like spatial safety and indirectly strengthen relatedness needs. (3) Cultural industry spaces hinder satisfaction due to disconnected innovation and resident participation. Thus, a “safety–social interaction–innovation” strategy is proposed to support the living conservation and sustainable development of historic districts.