Ancient temple heritage space is a subcategory of integrated spaces with profound religious architecture, culture, and landscape. The temporal and spatial characteristics, spatial layouts, and functionalities of ancient temples are gradually transformed during different periods in their development. However, quantitative topological estimation tools, e.g., space syntax and detailed digital spatial models, have seldom been adopted in related studies on ancient temples. Daming Temple is a typical representative of the revitalization of Buddhism monastic building heritage in China. This research studies the spaces of Daming Temple, Yangzhou City, in three different periods and explores its spatio–temporal characteristics based on two space syntax models, i.e., the angle segment analysis (ASA) model and the visibility map analysis (VGA) model. By multi-step quantitative estimation, changes in the mean depth (MD), mean connectivity, and intelligibility of the temple have been observed. The global spatial structure is thoroughly revealed, which indicates the changes in the ‘temple-residence-garden’ inter-relationship. It is indicated that dynamic spatio–temporal characteristics of the temple have been undergoing changes chronically. Some phenomena are found to be effective in offering reasonable explanations for these changes, i.e., the changes in relationships among spaces, visitors’ pathfinding difficulties, and spatial design techniques. It also found that there are certain correlations between temporal–spatial changes and spatial conservation strategies for building heritages. The case study can provide some valuable references for the conservation, reactivation, and redesign of related historical and cultural building heritage in East Asia.

The Daming Temple, built during 457–464 C.E., is one of the developing ancient temple heritage spaces located in Yangzhou city, P. R. China. Over the past 60 years, variation in visitors’ spatial perception along the tour routes in the temple has occurred. This research attempts to reveal the changes in visitors’ visual perception along the spatial sequences at 3 different times (i.e., 1962, 1973 and 2022). A quantitative GIS-based method, which includes analysing the distribution of visitors’ spatial preferences and spatial configuration, is proposed. Digital landscape tools and quantitative estimation methods are used, including mapping within Rhinoceros software, the kernel density estimation (KDE) method within ArcGIS software and spatial syntax analysis within DepthMap software. Extracted geodata from 500 photographs of the heritage space taken by volunteer visitors are analysed within the GIS environment. Values of the mean depth (MD) at both levels of visibility and accessibility are calculated within the visibility graph analysis (VGA) model. Comparisons between the visual preferences of the visitors and the spatial configuration along the spatial sequence are conducted. The results indicate that the spatial sequence has a significant impact on visitors’ visual preferences and tour routes. The phenomenon of spatial sequence among dynamic temporal variations and the effects of narrative spaces along the spatial sequence are highlighted and explained, which reveal the relationship between visitors’ geospatial preference and the spatial configuration of the temple. Some suggestions are put forwards for further studies on the revitalisation and management of East Asian ancient temple heritage spaces.

In the context of an aging population and the rise of age-friendly communities, the creation of outdoor spaces that cater to the daily needs of elderly residents, promote their physical and mental well-being, and strengthen their sense of community is a pressing matter requiring immediate attention and solutions. This study focuses on boosting the outdoor space of communities that are age-friendly. The research sample consists of four age-friendly communities in the representative city of Hangzhou. Aerial and ground surveys were carried out to examine the spatial distribution and behavioral tendencies of elderly citizens in outdoor community gathering locations. A GoPro MAX panoramic camera and a weather meter were utilized to evaluate the outside space’s landscape components, spatial attributes, and microclimate. Using Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyses, we discovered the key parameters impacting the spatial gathering and behaviors of elderly residents in age-friendly communities’ outdoor spaces. When constructing outdoor gathering spaces for the elderly, our findings indicate that weatherproof amenities, a greater variety of pavers, and greenery should be prioritized. Community fitness facilities should be considered throughout the development and refurbishment phases for activity areas. Consideration should also be given to the construction of weatherproof facilities with less walls and increased hard surface areas for chess spaces.

Exploring the relationship between park green spaces and urban functional spaces provides valuable insights into the production of organically integrated urban spaces that combine production, living, and ecological functions. It also offers guidance for urban spatial structure adjustments and supports the development of park-centered cities. Recent studies have demonstrated that park green spaces offer significant ecological and social benefits; however, evaluations have mostly focused on specific indicators of park green spaces, lacking a detailed and comprehensive assessment. Therefore, this study aims to combine multi-source data and various indicators using methods such as spatial profile analysis and geographical detectors to assess the effectiveness of park green spaces in influencing urban clustering. Firstly, it was determined that both park green spaces and urban single and integrated functional spaces in Hangzhou exhibit clustering distribution. Secondly, by measuring the impact of 12 park green spaces on the clustering of urban functional spaces, specific results were obtained. It was found that there are significant differences in the impact effectiveness across different park green spaces. Thirdly, exploring the factors influencing the agglomeration effect of park green spaces on urban functional spaces reveals that transportation, public services and administration, and residential, commercial, and industrial production functions around parks all influence this effect, albeit with diminishing strength in that order. Interaction between any of these functions further enhances the influence, and the introduction of vitality factors helps eliminate potential misjudgments caused by “ghost city” phenomena. Additionally, park characteristics, such as area, service range, and accessibility, all significantly impact the agglomeration effectiveness of urban functional spaces, with the influence further amplified by the interactions between these characteristics. Finally, directions for future research and planning insights are summarized.

With the intensification of climate change and urbanization, the impact of high-temperature disasters on urban resilience has become increasingly significant. Based on the “Pressure-State-Response” (PSR) model, this study proposes a novel assessment method for urban high-temperature disaster resilience. Through 15 evaluation indicators across 3 categories, we quantified the high-temperature disaster resilience level in Hangzhou and constructed a SOM-K-means second-order clustering algorithm to classify the study area into different resilience zones, exploring the spatial differentiation characteristics of high-temperature disaster resilience. The research results indicate the following: (1) Hangzhou exhibits a relatively low level of high-temperature disaster resilience, with a spatial distribution pattern showing a radial decrease from the main city area at the center, followed by a slight increase in the far periphery of the main city area. (2) The study area was divided into four distinct high-temperature disaster resilience zones, demonstrating significant spatial differentiation characteristics. This study innovatively integrates the PSR model with the SOM-K-means clustering method, providing a new perspective for the quantitative assessment and spatial zoning of urban high-temperature disaster resilience. The findings offer valuable decision-making support for enhancing urban resilience.