A Study of the Built Environment of Traditional Settlements Based on Geo-Information Technology: : A Case of Settlement Communities in Xiangfen, Shanxi

Most traditional settlements originate from the concentration and integration of dwelling units, nurtured under the interaction of natural environment, socio-economic and cultural factors, and are significant carriers of local culture. The study focuses on traditional settlements in Xiangfen County of Shanxi Province, discussing spatial characteristics of the built environment through field investigation and geographic information technology analysis, involving factors such as scale, density, distribution direction and distribution pattern. The spatial features of the settlements are summarized, and the spatial autocorrelation index, average nearest neighbor index and kernel density index are analyzed, as well as the influencing aspects of the spatial pattern of the settlements, in order to explore comprehensive cognitions of settlements in macro dimension. The study aims to contribute to the regional conservation and development of settlements, and to summarize the methods for quantifying the spatial knowledge of the built environment of settlements in the regional dimension, which will contribute to the deeper knowledge of settlements.