Traditional villages preserve irreplaceable tangible and intangible cultural landscapes, which concentratedly exhibit the distinctive civilization of China. With the development of urbanization, traditional villages are facing many development crises, necessitating comprehensive identification of landscape elements and explore protection pathways. In this study, we introduced the landscape gene theory and proposed a novel dual-strand model of “material-cultural” landscape genes of traditional villages consisting of 7 dimensions and 24 indicators to identify the landscape characteristics of the villages. Subsequently, the genetic mechanism and outcome of the traditional village landscape were elucidated by combining biological genetic characteristics with the evolution process of the village landscape genes. Then, combined with AHP-Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation method, a comprehensive evaluation system of genetic inheritance of traditional village landscape was constructed for multiple stakeholders of the village. The genetic inheritance results were screened according to the evaluation scores, capturing the maladaptive variations of landscape genes to guide the restoration of landscape genes. Finally, considering Lidipo Village in Tongchuan City, Shaanxi Province as an example, the landscape genes of Lidipo Village were identified, the genetic evaluation results of tourists and villagers were collected the maladaptive variations of landscape genes were screened and restorated. This study not only can realise the whole elements of village landscape capture, but also can accurately capture the genetic inheritance situation of landscape genes. The insights are advantageous for existing village landscape construction. Furthermore, the results provide scientific methods for the sustainable development of “each village with distinct features” in Lidipo Village and more traditional villages.

With the acceleration of urbanization, the design of street furniture, as an indispensable part of urban public spaces, faces the challenge of neglecting the user experience. To address this situation, this study adopted a three-level theory of affective design and the Kano model to categorize and rank users’ affective needs. The results show that users prefer high-density street furniture that follows traditional urban space design and incorporates elements of traditional Chinese culture and they reject minimalist modern facilities and empty, “hard” plazas. Accordingly, this study proposes emotional design strategies to effectively address the existing problems. Furthermore, this study confirms that the Kano model has significant advantages in identifying the real emotional needs of users, providing data support, and guiding the emotional design of street furniture, which ensures the scientific validity and effectiveness of the design strategy. This study not only deepens the understanding of the emotional design of street facilities but also provides an important reference for future urban space design and planning.

Heritage buildings are significant humanistic tourism resources for a city. Yangzhou’s heritage buildings have conservation and utilization value and are a key vehicle for promoting urban tourism development. However, there is a lack of research on their spatiotemporal distribution characteristics and subdivision types. This study aims to explore the spatial and temporal clustering and distribution characteristics of Yangzhou’s heritage buildings, as well as the factors contributing to the formation of these distribution patterns, as a means of promoting the tourism development of Yangzhou. Using mathematical statistics and GIS spatial analysis methods, this study analyzes the geographical distribution patterns of 528 heritage buildings and their influencing factors by using average nearest neighbor analysis, an imbalance index, and density mapping. This study reveals the following findings: (1) The temporal distribution shows an “Λ” shape, in which ancient buildings, modern historical sites, and important modern historical sites and representative buildings account for a significant proportion. (2) The temporal center shows a trend of shifting over time, moving from the southwest to the northwest and then to the northeast. (3) The spatial distribution is uneven; most of these are clustered in Hanjiang District, Gaoyou District, and Baoying County, while few are distributed in other regions. (4) The distribution is influenced by both natural and human factors, including topography, water resources, salt merchant culture, revolutionary culture, war culture, and canal transportation culture, with humans and human factors having a more profound impact than natural factors. Based on these findings, strategies such as regional integration and route planning, the prioritization of sustainable tourism development and preservation, and culture fusion and innovative promotion are proposed in this study as references for the all-for-one tourism development and cultural dissemination of Yangzhou.

The long-term interplay between rural handicraft industries and village development has resulted in imbalances such as the disorder of living spaces, misalignment of production spaces, and ecological space disruptions. Comprehensively analyzing village landscape elements and actively maintaining their coordinated development are the keys to the transformation of handicraft villages. This study firstly introduces the theory of landscape genes and the concept of “Production–Living–Ecology Spaces” (PLESs) and then constructs the identification system of PLES landscape genes. The system starts from the three dimensions of the production, life, and ecology spaces of the village, identifies the landscape elements that have been passed down from generation to generation, and realizes a comprehensive interpretation of the landscape elements of handicraft villages. Using YaoTou Village in Shaanxi Province as a case study, this study illustrates its landscape characteristics, based on the genetic form of PLES landscape genes, using the G1-FCE method to collect evaluation data from both tourists and residents. These data help to identify the genetic status of the PLES landscape genes of YaoTou Village and propose targeted inheritance mechanisms. The results enable the comprehensive identification of production, ecological, and living landscape elements in handicraft villages, evaluating their inheritance status to carry out targeted modern innovative transformation. This study will provide a reference for identifying and preserving the landscape elements of YaoTou Village and more handicraft villages and contribute to rural revitalization.

Under the dual pressures of urbanization and tourism development, the Historic Centre of Macao, as a World Cultural Heritage site, faces challenges including the inadequate transmission of cultural elements and the excessive commercialisation of tourism development. To systematically identify and safeguard its cultural characteristics, this study introduces the theory of cultural genes, constructing a dual-strand identification model encompassing both tangible and intangible cultural genes. This model integrates architectural function, structure, and ornamentation, alongside indigenous religions, arts, and folklore, thereby achieving a comprehensive extraction of cultural elements. Building upon this foundation, the study employed the AHP-fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to quantitatively assess the degree of identification with various cultural elements, integrating perspectives from three distinct groups: tourists, residents, and third-party experts. The findings revealed significant disparities in cultural identification across these groups. For instance, residents demonstrated the highest level of identification with beliefs and folk customs, whilst tourists favoured more tangible aspects such as decorative elements and cuisine, exhibiting generally weaker identification with architectural structures. The findings demonstrate that this study, through the establishment of a systematic framework for identifying cultural genes and a multi-stakeholder evaluation system, has accurately discerned the characteristics of various cultural genes and the public’s level of identification with them. This provides a scientific basis for evidence-based, differentiated, and precise governance of the Historic Centre of Macao, offering significant reference value for the conservation and revitalisation of similar cultural heritage sites.

Traditional residences in Southern Jiangsu are residential buildings characterized by local features that embody climate adaptability principles and reflect ecological wisdom and cultural significance rooted in environmental harmony. On the basis of the inheritance of architectural culture and the development of green design, this study aims to explore the scientific and green construction practices of traditional residences, with Xue Fucheng’s Former Residence in Wuxi City as a representative case of southern Jiangsu architecture. By measurement and data analysis, this study investigates the indoor thermal environment of traditional residences, focusing on temperature, humidity, wind speed, and radiant heat. It analyzes the methods and architectural mechanisms employed by traditional residences in Southern Jiangsu to control light, wind, and heat in the living environment. The findings summarize the inheritable experience in green and ecological design of traditional residences in Southern Jiangsu, providing a prudent reference for establishing a green building construction model and technique system with distinct features of Southern Jiangsu.