Influencing factors assessment and spatial design strategies for the sustainable development of rural heritage communities

The rapid urbanisation and regional homogenisation of rural heritage communities is increasingly a challenge in rural heritage communities. On the one hand, rural heritage communities need to grow to be viable; on the other hand, indiscriminate growth could negatively affect heritage, cultural and architectural identity. Precedent research in this area is limited, lacking residents’ perspectives and focusing on either assessing heritage status or applying existing strategies. Therefore, this study aims to synthesise the cultural ecology and anthropological approaches to investigate the factors affecting the sustainable development of rural heritage communities. The findings will propose a rational and sustainable spatial development strategy. This paper presents the first step of the research; a systematic literature review. The research resulted in a conceptual framework evaluated through a case study focused on the Chinese village of Baojing. The results show that the factors influencing the spatial development of rural heritage communities include the natural, social and economic environment, spatial evolution, public participation, and cultural driving. Therefore, the sustainable development of rural heritage communities can be enhanced by combining local conditions and improving these six factors in an integrated manner. However, further research is needed to determine the relevance of each influencing factor as a precursor to proposing a comprehensive assessment system for rural heritage communities.