Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Influence Factors of Rural Settlement Heritage in the Grand Canal Cultural Belt (Jiangsu Section)

This paper takes the rural settlement heritage of the Grand Canal Cultural Belt (Jiangsu section) as its research object. To analyse its spatial distribution characteristics, it employs a range of spatial analysis methods, including Average Nearest-Neighbour analysis, Kernel Density analysis, Distance analysis, and others. These methods are used to examine the overall distribution and the distribution along the transport. The overall distribution characteristics are as follows: (1) The overall spatial distribution of villages is characterised by agglomeration, with a nearest-neighbour index of 0.729; (2) The overall spatial distribution pattern of villages exhibits a southward concentration and a northward depletion, with the villages in the Jiangnan Canal Area representing the majority, accounting for 64.86% of the total number of villages. The distribution characteristics and influencing factors along the canal can be summarised as follows: (1) The inherent advantages of production and living conditions have resulted in a strong tendency for villages to be distributed in proximity to the lake and at a close distance; (2) The high reliance on water transport has led to a strong tendency for villages to be distributed along other tributaries of the canal and at a close distance; (3) The comprehensive consideration of security needs has resulted in a medium tendency for villages to be distributed along important tributaries of the canal; (4) The lack of a direct functional association has resulted in a weak tendency for villages to be distributed along the main streams of the canal, with a weaker and more distant trend.