Page 23 - JCAU-7-1

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Spatial syntax of temple heritage

civilization, the settlements of Tibetan Buddhist temples Since the 1980s, Chinese scholars have increasingly
in the western Sichuan plateau have served as convergence focused on the spatial forms of traditional villages,
points for localized and sinicized human cultural gradually expanding the scope of research from spatial
production and life. This heritage is a vital pillar of the structure and typology to influencing factors, evolutionary
diverse and integrated spirit of the Chinese nation. laws, and spatial cognition. After 2011, there has been
an increase in research on the macro morphology of
Temples hold a lofty position in Tibetan society,
functioning not only as religious sanctuaries but also as traditional villages. In addition to traditional research
methods such as field surveys, questionnaire analysis,
significant economic and political entities. In this light, and subjective induction, computer technologies such as
temples ought to be intricately intertwined with the
political and economic dimensions of Tibetan society. spatial syntax and geographic information systems have
Tibetan villages and towns, which embody the social and been introduced for quantitative analysis.
economic structures of the region, should maintain a The study of spatial form is fundamental to the
close relationship with temples (Li, 2006). However, the protection and development planning of traditional
Tibetan Buddhist concept of “yin meditation yoga,” which villages. Previous research on spatial form largely relied
dictates that temples be situated in secluded areas far from on qualitative descriptions and inductive reasoning.
populated centers, creates a stark contrast with economic However, these approaches often suffer from subjectivity
principles. This has led to a complex relationship between and randomness, limiting their ability to provide a deep
Tibetan Buddhist temples and the surrounding villages on and systematic understanding of spatial form. In contrast,
the western Sichuan plateau (Duan, 2019). spatial syntax offers a more objective method, enabling the
construction of evaluation models that provide visually
The protection of cultural heritage is an integral comprehensible quantitative analyses of spatial forms and
part of cultural resource management and requires structures. These models facilitate rational assessments of
sustained, long-term endeavor (Australian ICOMOS, past spatial evolution and predictions of future development
2013). The exploration of the spatial form of settlements trends. Given its quantitative strengths, spatial syntax has
is a prerequisite for safeguarding and developing the become widely applied in the research of rural settlement
cultural heritage of settlements (An, 2023). In this context, spaces. This body of research provides theoretical support
safeguarding cultural heritage must be viewed as an for studying the spatial forms of traditional villages.
organic component of cultural heritage management,
necessitating long-term and sustained efforts. The study of Accurately reflecting the spatial organizational
spatial form is foundational to ensuring the protection and structure, social properties, and image cognition remains
development of the cultural heritage of settlements. challenging in relevant research, leaving ample room for
innovation in future studies. This article employs spatial
The primary fields of application for foreign spatial syntax theory and methodology, taking into account
syntax theory encompass the cognition and cognitive the unique characteristics of temple–town associations.
processes of settlement spaces, virtual reality, path tracing, It examines four distinct settlements in Ganzi Tibetan
and the creation of spatial forms. Since the 1990s, spatial Autonomous Prefecture on the western Sichuan plateau:
syntax theory has increasingly been integrated into urban Baiyu Temple, Ganzi Temple, Dongga Temple, and Gesang
and architectural construction projects, including the Temple. Utilizing Depthmap software, the article quantifies
design of architectural spatial layouts, the planning of settlement parameter values, analyzes connection value,
urban spatial structures, and the spatial renovation of older integration degree, and comprehensibility, and explores
urban areas. Notably, European and American countries their syntactic structural characteristics. General patterns
have led global research efforts in spatial syntax. Hillier are summarized, and spatial syntax-based optimization
B. initiated his research by exploring spatial organization, measures are proposed for the spatial form of these
systematically investigating how human geometric settlements, offering valuable insights into the preservation
concepts shape urban spatial forms, and in turn, how these and development of cultural heritage spatial forms in
forms influence human consciousness. Dara Brams D., on temple settlements.
the other hand, applied existing spatial evaluation criteria
to investigate spatial memory. His findings indicate that 2. Research area and data sources
variables such as selectivity and integration within spatial
syntax can help elucidate the cognitive experiences of 2.1. Research area
spatial users within a given space. Dara Brams D.’s work Located in the western part of Sichuan province, China,
further extends spatial syntax theory to the realm of spatial Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture serves as a
cognition. significant component of the Qinghai–Tibet plateau,

Volume 7 Issue 1 (2025) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.2504