As urbanization accelerates, many traditional villages face the threat of destruction or disappearance. To better protect and utilize the cultural heritage of traditional villages, it is essential to deeply analyze the inherent patterns of their spatial morphology. This paper selects Nihegou Village in Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, China, as a case study. Utilizing the theory of spatial genes, a quantitative inheritance model was developed, integrating natural, physical, and intangible spatial factors. Through the collection of multidimensional spatial data, such as village topography, slope, and aspect, combined with GIS spatial analysis and the AHP-Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation method, the spatial morphological characteristics and genetic inheritance of Nihegou Village were identified, decoded, and quantitatively assessed. Based on the assessment results, corresponding conservation and development strategies were formulated. The findings show that the formation and development of Nihegou Village’s spatial pattern are closely related to factors like the natural environment, social policies, and economic technologies. The terrain and the process of urban modernization have impacted the inheritance and development of Nihegou Village’s intangible spatial genes. The application of spatial quantitative analysis methods to formulate strategies for the preservation and inheritance of traditional village spatial characteristics not only provides theoretical guidance for village planning and conservation rooted in cultural heritage, but also effectively safeguards and revitalizes the spatial gene inheritance of Nihegou Village, contributing to the village’s sustainable development.

In the context of sustainable architecture, buildings are no longer isolated entities but are integral components of a broader built environment that shapes and responds to human life. As part of this evolving architectural landscape, immersive digital cultural heritage spaces—such as virtual museums—are emerging as dynamic environments that contribute not only to cultural preservation but also to human well-being. This study examines how multisensory spatial design in virtual heritage environments can meet the physical, psychological, and emotional needs of users, aligning with the principles of smart, responsive architecture. A total of 325 participants experienced three immersive VR scenarios integrating different sensory inputs: visual–auditory, visual–auditory–tactile, and visual–auditory–olfactory. Through factor analyses, a three-dimensional model of user experience was identified, encompassing immersion, cultural engagement, and personalization. Structural equation modeling revealed that informational clarity significantly enhanced immersion (β = 0.617, p < 0.001), while emotional resonance was central to personalization (β = 0.571, p < 0.001). Moreover, ANOVA results indicated significant experiential differences among sensory conditions (F = 4.324, p = 0.014), with the visual–auditory modality receiving the highest user ratings. These findings demonstrate how digital cultural spaces—when designed with human sensory systems in mind—can foster emotionally rich, informative, and sustainable environments. By extending the role of architecture into the digital domain, this study offers insight into how technology, when guided by human-centered design, can create smart environments that support both ecological responsibility and enhanced human experience.

With the accelerated growth of global tourism and the increasing availability of transport, the coordination and interaction between the tourism economy and transport have become a topic of great interest. This study seeks to analyse the coordination effects and influencing factors of Shaanxi’s tourism economy and transportation, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of the region’s tourism economy. To achieve this, we develop a tourism economy–transportation evaluation index system and employ the system coupled with the coordination model and entropy method to conduct a thorough analysis. The research spans over the years 2003–2021. According to the findings of this study, the integration and coordination of tourism economy–transportation and tourism development in Shaanxi are exhibiting an upward development trend. Over the years, the degree of coupling coordination has progressed through the stages of uncoordinated development, transformational development, and coordinated development, with the recent epidemic upheaval resulting in a primary level of coordination. In addition, the transport system has a significant impact on the coupled and coordinated development of the tourism economy–, with the size of the transport base and transport efficiency serving as the driving factors and transport pressure and epidemic shocks serving as significant influencing factors. Due to the fluctuations of the global pandemic, the coordination of the tourism system declines sharply in 2020, but recovers in 2021 as the pandemic progressively stabilises. Through this study, we can gain a better understanding of the relationship between the tourism economy and transport in Shaanxi and devise strategies and policies to support the development of sustainable transport and tourism systems.

The tourist industry is consistent with the new development paradigm and plays a crucial role in regional economic growth. At the same time, several areas of China have developed tourism as a vital industrial pillar. Analysing and examining the elements that affect the tourist industry in this setting has significant theoretical and practical implications. The dependent variable for this study is the tourist income for Guizhou Province from 2006 to 2019. A total of Eight variables are chosen as independent variables, including the distance travelled by rail and by road, the number of civil flights, the number of travel agencies, the overall number of tourists, the disposable incomes of both urban and rural residents, the number of tertiary industry workers, and the volume of foreign direct investment. The eight independent variables are discovered to favourably impact tourist revenue through the use of factor and regression analysis. Based on the study’s findings, this article suggests that (1) crisis management should be strengthened, and tourist businesses should be advised to become more active rather than passive, (2) infrastructure development should be enhanced for supporting tourism and directing the growth of the rural tourist industry in the area, and (3) the use of digital technologies should be enhanced and the speed of building intelligent tourism should be increased.

This paper, set against the backdrop of folk culture and rural landscapes in China's western regions, delves into the pivotal role of territorial landscape aesthetics theory in the design of public spaces in new rural areas. It offers innovative ideas and methodologies for rural spatial planning and design. The concept of the "New Countryside" aims to enhance rural residents' quality of life, propel rural modernization, and foster integrated urban-rural development. Employing the analytic network process (ANP), this study establishes an assessment framework for evaluating folk cultural rural landscapes, encompassing natural, social, and economic dimensions as indicators, and analyzes the weightings between influencing factors. The research findings underscore the significant impact of territorial landscape aesthetics on elevating rural landscapes. Building upon these findings, the paper presents recommendations for the design of public spaces in tourism-oriented rural areas of China's western regions. These recommendations encompass preserving historical relics and traditional dwellings, integrating folk culture into public artistic designs and enhancing rural cultural heritage exhibitions that depict local customs, traditions, and accomplishments. These suggestions are aimed at enhancing the quality and appeal of rural landscapes, thereby fostering the development of local tourism. Through an in-depth exploration of the application of territorial landscape aesthetics, it is hoped that this study can offer valuable guidance and inspiration for the design of public spaces in tourism-focused rural areas of China's western regions, while actively contributing to the preservation and promotion of folk culture.

As environmental issues on a global scale continue to worsen, all regions are pursuing ecological management and sustainable development strategies. The coordinated development of the “vegetation-air-water” environment is one of the most essential research topics in ecological governance. The purpose of this paper is to develop an evaluation system for the development of environmental governance in Shaanxi Province, as well as to evaluate the benefits of environmental governance in Shaanxi Province from 2012 to 2021 and its influencing factors. An index system for the coordinated development of “vegetation-atmosphere-water” is constructed, and the benefits and influencing factors of environmental governance are comprehensively analysed by using comprehensive analysis methods such as the coupled coordination model of the system and entropy weight TOPSIS. The results indicate that the development trend of the coupling coordination degree has evolved through the stages of “uncoordinated development at the early stage of governance, transformed development at the middle stage of governance, and coordinated development at the first success stage of governance.” In addition, we identify the obstacles to the coordinated development of the environment and suggest appropriate countermeasures. The efficacy of environmental policy governance provides recommendations for future enhancements. It is important to note that ecological governance is influenced by both policy and nature; political influences, such as the switch from “returning farmland to forests” to “returning forests to farmland,” will result in the destruction of the original good vegetation growth, which will significantly reduce the coordinated benefits of ecological governance. The original coordinated system will also be fractured, which is a problem worth contemplating. And policymakers, researchers, and practitioners can use the evaluation system and analysis method proposed in this paper as an effective tool to promote sustainable development and ecological governance.