Traditional settlements are vital carriers of Chinese agricultural civilization yet face mounting challenges in protection and inheritance amid rapid urbanization. Taking ancient Huizhou as a case study, this research analyzes the spatial distribution patterns of cross-provincial traditional settlements and constructs a multi-level heritage corridor network through circuit theory modeling and space syntax analysis. The study reveals a “small aggregation, large dispersion” spatial structure shaped by natural geography and socio-cultural dynamics. Simulation of multi-path cultural flows and network analysis show that high betweenness corridors concentrate along the northeast–southwest axis, promoting efficient cultural circulation, while low betweenness areas highlight gaps in direct connectivity. Closeness analysis identifies She County as the cultural core with a single-center radial structure, though internal fragmentation persists. Based on these findings, the study proposes a “three-core-driven, two-axis linkage, multi-source synergy” protection strategy to strengthens the spatial integrity and resilience of the heritage network. This research not only provides a systematic framework for the holistic conservation of Huizhou settlement heritage but also offers methodological references for the protection of traditional settlements in broader regions.

This study focuses on constructing a heritage corridor for traditional villages in the Taihu Lake region, aiming to promote the cultural heritage preservation and sustainable development of these villages through innovative pathway design. Based on the spatial distribution characteristics of traditional villages across five cities surrounding Taihu Lake (Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, Huzhou, and Jiaxing) and the existing transportation network, this research integrates the Circuit Effective Conductance (CEC) theory with ArcGIS spatial analysis methods to optimize the pathways of the heritage corridor. The results show that the expected nearest neighbor distance of 307 traditional villages in the Taihu Lake region is 5245.61 m, with the actual nearest neighbor distance being 3385.60 m, a z-score of −11.85, and a nearest neighbor index of 0.645786, indicating that traditional villages in this region exhibit clustered distribution. Combined with kernel density results, a “dual-core–four zones–multiple scatter points” spatial structure of traditional villages in the Taihu Lake region is revealed, with Dongshan Island and Wujiang District serving as the primary and secondary cultural cores, respectively. By establishing a “dual-ring heritage corridor” spatial network, a stable pathway for village heritage preservation and cultural transmission has been formed, consisting of 137 heritage corridors. Meanwhile, the CEC model demonstrates high adaptability in generating circular heritage corridors, particularly in creating closed-loop structures around the lake, thereby enhancing the spatial connectivity of the corridors and facilitating the effective flow of cultural resources. Through the strategic design of outer and inner ring corridors, this study successfully links traditional villages in the Taihu Lake region and develops optimal travel routes. The study provides practical solutions for the protection, revitalization, and integration of cultural tourism in the region and offers a new perspective for constructing heritage corridors in lakefront geographies in China.

Under the new era context, the conservation and renewal of historic urban districts also require new approaches and methodologies. Social media can, to some extent, reflect public perception regarding the image of these areas after conservation and renewal. Taking the renewed Shiquan Street historic district within the ancient city of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, as the research subject, this study utilizing methods including word frequency analysis, sentiment analysis of text, and semantic network analysis, it explores public perception of Shiquan Street's image post-renewal. The results indicate that following the renewal, Shiquan Street faces issues such as traffic congestion, monotonous business formats, and a lack of distinct local cultural characteristics. Therefore, recommendations for subsequent conservation and renewal efforts can be proposed from three aspects: optimizing traffic flow, strengthening cultural heritage preservation, and enhancing the management of business formats. This study also provides a reference for the continuous renewal of other historic urban streets.

Public art is not only beautifying the urban environment, but also a medium of urban cultural communication. Urban public art in Macao constitutes a beautiful landscape. Still, there are some problems in its planning and construction. According to these problems, combined with the relevant theories of urban cultural communication and the actual situation of Macao, through field research, this paper summarizes several basic characteristics of urban public art in Macao and proposes the planning process of urban public art in Macao.