As urbanization progresses in China, the importance of preserving traditional settlements, particularly those located in mountainous areas, is increasingly recognized. To reveal the spatial morphology of mountain settlements influenced by topography, this study employs fractal geometry to analyze twelve mountain settlements within the Jiexiu City region. The correlation between the fractal dimensions of building structures in these settlements and those of suitable construction areas was examined, revealing a significant positive relationship. Moreover, an in-depth spatial distribution analysis of the representative village, Xingdi Village, was conducted to examine its sub-regional spatial morphology. Utilizing the Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) model, this study explored the impact of slope, aspect, and elevation on the spatial form of mountainous settlements. The results indicate that the complexity of sub-spaces within Xingdi Village gradually decreases with village expansion, and there is a significant positive correlation between flat terrain and sub-spatial morphology. Based on this, a conservation framework rooted in the morphological characteristics of settlement typologies is proposed.

Due to the imbalance between urban and rural development and improper management, the spatial forms of many heritage villages have suffered severe damage, and their landscape styles are gradually being blurred, posing serious challenges to the protection of traditional villages. Taking the traditional village of Xi Songbi in Jiexiu City, Shanxi Province, as a case study, this paper employs UAV low-altitude multi-view measurement technology to obtain high-resolution image data from different angles. Three-dimensional modeling technology is then used to construct a 3D real-world model, orthophotos, and point cloud data of the settlement. Based on these data, the weakly supervised point cloud segmentation method, DDLA, is further applied to finely segment and classify the acquired point cloud data, accurately extracting key spatial elements such as buildings, roads, and vegetation, thereby enabling a comprehensive and quantitative analysis of the spatial morphology of traditional villages. The results of the study show the following: (1) The use of UAVs for low-altitude multi-view measurement not only greatly improves the efficiency of data acquisition but also provides millimeter-level precision spatial data in a short time through the constructed 3D models and orthophotos. (2) The acquired point cloud data can be processed through the DDLA, which effectively differentiates building contours from other environmental elements. (3) The calculation and analysis of the segmented point cloud data can accurately quantify key spatial morphology elements, such as the dimensions of traditional village buildings, spacing, and road widths, ensuring the scientific rigor and reliability of the data. (4) The comprehensive application of digital technology and point cloud segmentation methods provides clear expectations and solid technical support for the quantitative study of the spatial morphology of traditional villages, laying a scientific foundation for the protection and sustainable development of cultural heritage.

Conservation units for traditional village clusters are often delineated by administrative boundaries or spatial proximity. Yet rural built heritage is shaped by historical routes, terrain conditions, cultural homology, settlement morphology, and rural landscape settings. This mismatch is especially evident in mountainous regions, where conservation relevance does not necessarily follow planar distance. To address this issue, this study proposes relational contiguity as an operational concept for cluster-based conservation of traditional village heritage. Using 61 nationally recognized traditional villages in Gaoping City, Shanxi Province, China, as a case, we develop a socio-spatial network framework. The framework integrates composite node quality, cultural homology, MCR-based cost distance, inter-village association strength, and node-role differentiation into a modified spatial interaction model. This allows conservation relations to be identified as culturally meaningful, spatially plausible, and governance-relevant. The results show that only 167 of 1830 village pairs form effective links. This selective heritage conservation network is structured by the Dan River corridor, historical trade routes, high-value heritage nodes, and culturally homologous village groups. Four differentiated conservation units are identified: the fortified landscape conservation unit, the Dan River trade-corridor coordination unit, the landscape-ritual continuity unit, and the peripheral authenticity conservation unit. The study provides a planning support framework for translating inter-village heritage relations into coordinated conservation units for rural built heritage.

Traditional village built heritage conservation requires attention to both the preservation of heritage cores and their relationships with peripheral environments. Existing research has extensively examined heritage preservation, spatial change, and external development conditions, but these aspects are often studied separately, leaving core–periphery relationships insufficiently explored. This study adopts a core–periphery perspective to develop a diagnostic framework comprising core preservation (U), peripheral pressures and constraints (P), and peripheral support (S). The framework identifies U–P relational configurations (G) and diagnoses relational conditions using the Core–Periphery Relative Risk Index (RRI), with S assessed separately as complementary information. An empirical analysis combines multi-source spatial data and GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis for all 22 nationally recognised traditional villages in Jiexiu, Shanxi Province, China, forming a complete county-level case set. The results reveal four U–P configurations. Villages with better-preserved cores may face higher peripheral pressure, while those under lower pressure may have poorly preserved cores. Relational conditions and peripheral support also vary among villages within the same configuration. The study operationalises a core–periphery perspective through a relational diagnostic approach to traditional village built heritage, revealing differences that preservation assessments alone may overlook. It provides an analytical basis for understanding conservation issues and development conditions in traditional villages.