Research on Traditional Village Clustered Protection and Utilization Methods Based on Network Science -113 Traditional Villages in Eastern Hubei Province as an Example

Abstract

For a long time, China's traditional villages, as a form of heritage, have emphasized the conservation of historical “authenticity”, with limitations imposed on commercial development and capital investment. Most of China's traditional villages are in mountainous, with limited transportation and an underdeveloped economy. With the impact of industrialization and urbanization, many traditional villages face problems such as depopulation and severe labor loss. Economic restructuring and commercial development of these villages are urgently needed. Based on this, China has proposed a demonstration work, “Traditional Village Clustered Protection and Utilization”. This work has changed traditional villages' previous single protection model to a clustered model for heritage preservation and economic development. With 113 state-level traditional villages in the eastern region of Hubei Province as the research object, this study adopts the multi-layer network method to construct a Multiplex Relationship Network of traditional villages based on the Economic Development Network and Cultural Preservation Network. Our research results showed that (1) 7 subgroups were identified using a community detection algorithm that detects the community structure of the Multiplex Relationship Network. Most communities span administrative boundaries and are classified into three categories: within a single county, subgrouped across counties, and dispersed across counties. (2) Core nodes were extracted using three network centrality indicators (average degree, betweenness centrality, and community structure). The core notes include ten of the strongest power nodes, three of the strongest connectivity nodes, and ten "bridge" nodes. The strongest power and connectivity nodes impact the development within their communities, while “bridge” nodes play an essential role in inter-community associations. (3) The correlation results show that the economic development and cultural preservation networks interact with each other. Therefore, the average degree of the multiplex relationship network is significantly influenced by economic factors. The study innovatively uses a multi-layer network to guide the planning and implementation of Traditional Village Protection and Utilization in a Subgroup Planning Mode. It provides disciplinary inspiration and practical guidance for revitalizing and utilizing traditional villages.