How can residents’ cognitions enrich village tourism planning? Field research in three atypical traditional villages of southern Anhui, China

A large number of traditional villages with rich cultural heritage and tourism resources are distributed in southern Anhui. Over historical evolution, atypical traditional villages have gradually formed, characterized by weakened historical culture and declining spatial functions, requiring protection and adaptive reuse. This study employs Lefebvre's spatial triad as its theoretical framework, grounded in the context of tourism development in atypical traditional villages, to examine residents' recognition of village spatial characteristics as shaped by historical evolution. Findings show that historical spaces, though partially damaged, remain central to residents' cognition, while newly built service and industrial facilities provide a complementary function and support residents' daily activities. Awareness of natural spaces and the human-environment principles they embody is limited. By integrating spatial utilization orientations from village tourism planning with residents' cognitions, the study examines the roles of alignment, complementation, and expansion, and proposes spatial typologies, including resident–tourist symbiosis, resident-led, tourist-led, and resident-guided spaces, along with strategies for protection and renewal. Adopting a residents' perspective enriches tourism planning, facilitates adaptive use of space, preserves historical context, and promotes heritage protection, village revitalization, and the symbiosis of residents and tourists. • The residents' cognitions align with and complement the village tourism planning. • Residents focus on historical space, with attention varying by preservation status. • Newly built spaces add to village space and host most residents' daily activities. • Direct spatial use and conservation by user pattern per spatial utilization. • Guide residents to use vanished historical space daily for heritage transmission.