Key villages of rural tourism have become an important carrier for the high-quality development of rural tourism. The precise identification of the spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors of rural tourism key villages is of great value in promoting the quality upgrading of rural tourism in China and realizing the goal of rural revitalization strategy. The aim is to realize the complementary coordination and integration of urban and rural areas, promote rural transformation and increase farmers’ incomes. Taking three batches of 1199 key rural tourism villages in China as research samples, the nearest neighbor index, disequilibrium index and kernel density methods were used to reveal the spatial differentiation characteristics of key rural tourism villages and the influencing factors were further analyzed using the geographical connection rate and buffer analysis. The results showed that (1) the key villages of rural tourism demonstrated a typical agglomeration in the spatial distribution, with the Hu Huanyong line as the obvious boundary. (2) The very high-density agglomeration centers were mainly located in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region and the Yangtze River Delta region, while the high-density agglomeration zones were mainly located in the North China Plain on the east side of the Taihang Mountains and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Basin. (3) The spatial distribution characteristics of hot regions were in the central and eastern regions; however, the cold regions were in the northwest and northeast regions. (4) The spatial distribution characteristics of key rural tourism villages were the result of the interaction and coupling of multiple factors. The key villages of rural tourism were mainly distributed in plain and hilly areas with dense river networks, dense populations, high levels of economic development, developed transportation and suburban areas.

Medium-sized cities are increasingly committed to the planning and construction of urban public spaces to meet people’s demand for high-quality urban life. Parks and squares are important parts of urban public spaces, and their vitality represents the quality of public spaces to a certain extent and reflects the happiness index of urban residents. At present, the functional areas and transportation networks of medium-sized cities are still developing. Due to the influence of urban construction, the planning of parks and squares in medium-sized cities has not yet caught up to that in larger cities. This study analyzed a medium-sized city, Jiaozuo, as an example, with the help of point of interest (POI) data, OpenStreetMap road network density data and WorldPop population data. The vitality of parks and squares in different functional spaces in the main urban area in Jiaozuo was quantitatively evaluated in terms of the four following aspects: urban space functional area characteristics, travel vitality index of urban residents, park and square attractiveness and the regional service levels of parks and squares. The effects of functional mixing, traffic network density, population density and spatial distribution on the vitality of parks and squares in medium-sized cities were also studied. The results showed that (1) the functional mixing in the main urban area in Jiaozuo was characterized by a spatial distribution of high in the center and low in the surrounding areas, with the highest functional mixing in the central part of the Jiefang District; (2) the travel dynamics of urban residents were characterized by a clear development of concentric circles radiating in a circular pattern; (3) the levels of service in parks and squares were particularly high in Jiefang District, with a spatial distribution of Jiefang District > Shanyang District > Macun District > Zhongzhan District; (4) under the condition that the service levels of each district were the same, the vitality values of the existing parks and squares in each district were compared and, from high to low, were Jiefang District (1.0–3.5), Shanyang District (0.2–2.0), Macun District (0–1.4) and Zhongzhan District (0–1.2). Functional mixing, road networks and population density had significant impacts on the vitality of parks and squares. Based on our study on the division of urban functional areas, we expanded the study to include urban microspaces. By evaluating the vitality of existing parks and squares and analyzing the influencing factors of spatial vitality, we found that it would be helpful to adopt targeted strategies to improve spatial vitality. Considering the spatial layouts of parks and squares, planning and constructing high-vitality parks and squares would be conducive to the future development of medium-sized cities. The existence of high-vitality spaces could also help to realize the sustainable development of cities.

Industrial heritage is a valuable spatial resource for urban stock updates, and its preservation and reuse play an important role in the transmission of urban history and culture. Typological analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, relevant spatial analysis using ArcGIS 10.8, and geographic probes were employed to explore the spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors regarding the current status of the reuse of 196 heritage sites selected from five batches of China’s National Industrial Heritage (NIH) lists. The results reveal the following: (1) The spatial distribution of China’s NIH sites is uneven and cohesive, forming a dense circle with the Yangtze River Delta region and the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region at its core. (2) Three-fourths of the NIH sites have entered the reuse stage, and high-density and relatively high-density clusters have formed in the eastern and central regions. (3) The conservation and reuse directions of China’s NIH sites are mainly divided into publicization and marketization. (4) The spatial distribution differentiation of the reuse of NIH sites is not due to a single cause but, rather, a combination of various contributing factors. Natural geographic and socio-economic factors exert varying degrees of influence on the spatial distribution of reused heritage sites, with tourism resources and government support playing primary roles in shaping this distribution. These findings establish a fundamental database of China’s NIH sites and provide guidance for the current conservation and reuse of industrial heritage.

The Qihe River Basin, renowned as one of the cradles of Chinese civilization and a river that flows in the Psalms, boasts a rich cultural heritage. River basins have historically been the cradle of civilization, nurturing the prosperity and enduring cultures that have supported sustained human civilization. This research focuses on investigating the temporal and spatial transformations of traditional villages in the Qihe River Basin. By conducting a thorough literature review, consulting local chronicles, and undertaking field surveys, historical information on the ancient Qihe River and its significant tributaries was collected and analysed via ArcGIS 10.8. Spatial analysis techniques, such as the nearest neighbor index, kernel density estimation, standard deviation ellipse, geographic concentration index, and buffer analysis, were applied to analyse the spatiotemporal dynamics of the spatial distribution of traditional villages. Through a detailed exploration of various factors influencing village evolution, especially the role of rivers in driving changes, several key findings emerged: (1) Traditional villages in the Qihe River Basin exhibit a clustered distribution pattern; (2) the shifting centroid of traditional villages over six historical periods demonstrates a directional trend from southwest to northeast, with contemporary villages facing the risk of disappearance; and (3) factors such as proximity to water, elevation, slope, and socio-cultural elements are intricately linked to traditional villages, with water proximity emerging as a primary influencer. This study enhances our comprehension of the interplay between traditional village development and river basins, providing valuable theoretical insights for promoting the sustainable development of traditional villages in China.

Assessing and analyzing the spatial and temporal evolution of urban land use and habitat quality is important for the ecological transformation, habitat conservation, and ecological development of resource-depleted cities. The InVEST model and ArcGIS 10.5 were used to analyze the characteristics of land use transition, the temporal and spatial evolution of habitat quality, and the distribution of hot and cold spots in typical resource-depleted cities in central China from 1990 to 2020, with a view to providing a reference for ecological environmental protection of such cities. The results show the following: (1) During the study period, a decrease in cultivated land and forested land and an increase in construction land were the main reasons for the decline in habitat quality in the study area; thus, attention should be paid to protecting cultivated land and preventing forested land degradation. (2) In terms of the temporal gradient, the overall habitat quality in the region showed a declining trend, habitat degradation characteristics showed a spread from urban city and county areas as the core to the surrounding areas. (3) In terms of spatial distribution, habitat quality in the area shows a pattern of “high in the north and low in the middle”.

Traditional villages embody tangible repositories of historical, cultural, and geographical heritage, and their sustainable and authentic development poses a global challenge. By applying complex adaptive system (CAS) theory via a bottom–up approach, we analyze traditional settlements using China’s Zheshui village as a representative case. Road networks and spatial configurations were examined through image analysis (ImageJ 1.54 p, Depthmap+ Beta 1.0), integrating space syntax, box-counting dimension, and point-density analysis to decode hierarchical point-line-plane structures. Key findings reveal that building units self-similarly aggregate into courtyards under landmark constraints, with courtyards further coalescing into villages. Road systems function as adaptive agents that facilitate nodal information flow while exhibiting fluidity and diversity. The village emerges as a macro-scale complex system from the building-unit level, displaying cross-scale self-similarity, yet intrinsic diversity in architecture and roads underlies its core complexity. BTM topic modeling of tourist sentiment—identifying tourists as novel adaptive agents—predictively guides strategies for enhanced cultural dissemination and public infrastructure. By establishing a CAS-driven internal generative mechanism, this work offers a novel methodological framework for authentic conservation and sustainable development.