Research on the spatial characteristics of traditional villages and cultural heritage landscape gene conservation: a case study of the Wuyi area in Guangdong，China

This study investigates the protection and enhancement of rural settlement landscape characteristics in the Wuyi region of Guangdong, China, through a multi-scale analysis. At the macro level, GIS spatial analysis, the average nearest neighbor index, and cluster analysis reveal that rural settlements are predominantly dispersed with strip-shaped boundaries, low street network density, and high-density patterns on flat slopes. At the meso level, the spatial morphology of settlements in Taishan City is interpreted systematically. At the micro level, the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) is applied to quantitatively assess and extract core landscape genes in Wencun Village. Findings indicate a spatial imbalance, with traditional and tourist settlements concentrated in the north. The enhancement value for Wencun Village lies in its tangible heritage nodes and associated intangible cultural practices. Based on these results, the study proposes revitalization strategies and an implementation path for the innovative transformation of Wencun’s cultural heritage landscape.