A multi-scale quantitative study on the transformation and reproduction of imperial power space: the Qing-dynasty Jiangning Temporary Palace in Nanjing

As an important residence within the Qing southern-tour system, the Jiangning Temporary Palace accommodated imperial travel and ritual performance while mediating central power’s embedding in Nanjing’s local society and urban order. By comparing the palace across historical and contemporary periods, this study conceptualizes the site as a mediating institutional space and applies space syntax and visibility analysis at urban, courtyard, and node-visibility scales to trace its spatial logic from imperial control to public use. The results reveal clear spatial reconfiguration. At the urban scale, the site remained connected to the main urban corridor in the late historical city; in the contemporary road network, accessibility was strengthened, with zero angular cost and a shorter path length. At the courtyard scale, Xuanrui Hall retained structural prominence, while shifting from a control node within a ritual route to a connecting hub in public circulation. Visibility analysis shows a transformation from sequential organization in the historical palace to a public visiting structure composed of fewer open cores and dominant corridors in the contemporary museum. These findings reveal morphological continuity, functional translation, and redistributed access. The proposed framework is applicable to institutional heritage sites undergoing functional transformation and public reuse where comparable spatial evidence exists.