Spatial Optimization of Tourist-Oriented Villages by Space Syntax Based on Population Analysis

Abstract

Tourism-oriented countryside is a development object that cannot be ignored in Chinese rural revitalization. As a special type of countryside, urban expansion and development have led to the gradual reduction of rural areas, which, in turn, has led to the deterioration of the spatial structure of tourism villages and the interdependence between villagers, merchants, and tourists. This has caused the loss of vitality of rural tourism spaces and the hollowing out of tourism villages. In our study, we used Space Syntax, based on population analysis, to research the three major populations of villagers, merchants, and tourists in tourism-oriented countryside. We optimized a total of four categories of rural space: street space, cultural space, landscape space, and public facilities. We found that spatial optimization improves the spatial layout, spatial accessibility, and spatial compounding of spaces. By constructing a model of harmonious development of the spatial structure of tourism villages with villagers, merchants, and tourists, the problem of hollowing out of tourism villages can be effectively solved. This will ease the contradictory relationship between urban development and rural revitalization, promoting the sustainable development of Chinese society, economy, and culture.

1. Introduction

The formation and development of countryside tourism space is influenced by people, and the spatial pattern is determined by the long-term interaction between people and the environment. Space also constantly updates and influences people’s production and lifestyles. At the end of the 19th century, foreign scholars conducted research on tourist attractions and surrounding villages, and they found that some of the houses in the five-kilometer buffer zone around tourist attractions had become country lodges, which was also the result of the decline of agriculture [1]. Lagging behind the likes of Europe and America, domestic research on the tourist-oriented countryside mainly began in the early 20th century. The introduction of the concepts of “tourism-oriented villages”, “villages in the scenery”, and “villages beside the scenery” also marked the prevalence of the strong attachment of tourist villages to scenic areas, and this type of rural space is in urgent need of rational development [2]. Since the 1990s, because of the continuous urbanization and industrialization in China, cities have experienced renewal and push-back reconstruction. The countryside has become part of the city and the problems of rural spatial development have become increasingly prominent, including unbalanced urban–rural development, uneven distribution of resources and benefits, lack of rural characteristic culture, and serious spatial environmental pollution. Comparing the development forms at home and abroad, foreign countries have focused more on applying the countryside to tourism in order to experience the traditional countryside, while domestic research has mainly focused on planning, economics, humanities, and sociology. This includes spatial planning, spatial transformation, resource sharing, environmental development, organic renewal, and so on.

There are different forms of spatial transformation of tourist villages, such as spatial demolition, spatial reconstruction, and spatial optimization. Some are semi-urbanized redevelopment according to the location and development mode. Others distinguish urban and rural development in both directions, according to the revitalization and urbanization process. In addition, the spatial pattern optimization of villages strengthens villagers and the government as the main actors [3]. There are many challenges in the renewal of tourism-oriented villages in spatial research. For example, the change of user population, road partition, poor sanitary environments, homogeneous cultural publicity, insufficient public facilities, and a lack of rest spaces has led to the gradual deterioration of rural tourism spaces and the gradual loss of internal vitality. To address the above problems and challenges, there is an urgent need to optimize the design of tourist village spaces [4]. Many cities and regions have started practical research into, for example, planning of tourist villages on national land, multi-functional use of landscape space, and fixed-point architecture for construction [5]. However, existing retrofitting methods and forms still have limitations. Although some of the methods meet current needs, they cannot be adapted to future sustainable development due to the use of collage-style renovation. Over the past three decades, the harmonious development of agriculture, the countryside, and people have become a concern of international organizations. The multifunctional development path is a basic feature of the development of tourist villages, especially in terms of various goods and services of an ecological, landscape, social, and cultural nature [6], such as public facilities, street public spaces, cultural spaces, etc. With the change of the economy, culture, demographic structure, and people’s living habits, the tourist village has changed. Countryside tourism spaces have been transformed from spaces to meet the basic and simple living needs of villagers into spaces meeting the needs of multiple populations. However, the traditional narrow street space and single-function space cannot be transformed in the short term, leading to low space utilization, traffic congestion, and insufficient landscape space. There is a lack of domestic research into sociological, statistical, psychological, and other perceptual analyses when optimizing space in Space Syntax. The change of population relationship in the development of the tourism countryside has an impact on the optimization of tourism countryside space. We need to consider the synergistic development among street space, culture, ecological environment, and public facilities of tourist villages more.

In summary, this study considered the interdependence between different populations of people and tourist village spaces. We sought to rejuvenate these spaces by optimizing the spatial pattern of tourist villages to promote their sustainable development in the ecological, environmental, and cultural dimensions. In this paper, we propose a population analysis method (SSPA) to optimize the spatial framework. We take a typical tourist-oriented village (Heping Village) in Wuxi, China, as an example for analysis. Specifically, we obtain the villagers’ needs through population analysis method in the perceptual aspect and focus on the experience of using the population. Then, we optimize the space with the Space Syntax method and scientifically design the space structure of the tourist village. The results show that the space designed by this method can improve people’s living standard, realize the synergistic development among street space, culture, ecological environment, and public facilities of tourist villages, and, finally, promote the sustainable development of tourist villages.

The rest of the paper is structured as follows. The literature review section (Section 2) introduces tourism-based rural design and sustainable tourism-based rural design and summarizes the main obstacles to sustainable tourism-based rural design, namely the deterioration of the existing rural spatial environment. The theory and method section (Section 3) analyzes population theory and Space Syntax and proposes the SSPA framework and to apply it to tourist-oriented rural design. The results section (Section 4) presents the original change of tourist-oriented rural space, and the case study of the optimization strategy and design practice of tourist-oriented rural space based on the SSPA framework. The discussion section (Section 5) discusses the role of the SSPA method applied in tourism-oriented rural design. The conclusion section (Section 6) summarizes the SSPA method of tourism-based rural design and methodology. The limitations of this study and future application directions are discussed.

2. Literature Review

2.1. Sustainable Urban and Rural Development

Many developing countries around the world are currently experiencing urbanization. Since the 1980s, China has undergone economic reforms that have seen it become the most urbanized country in the world. China is on the cusp of a new wave of opening up, characterized by aggressive initiatives to further deepen integration. Under the influence of industrialization, urbanization, and marketization, agricultural production techniques have undergone a transformation and upgrade [7]. In this context, a large surplus of labor has emerged in the countryside. The relationship between urban and rural areas has changed. Many scholars have conducted research on sustainable urban–rural development. George Smith et al. strengthened rural and urban environments by creating interconnected and interdependent linkages to support the diversification of rural and urban environments and to remedy the impact of urbanization on rural agriculture and communities [8]. Gu et al., based on psychological capital theory, studied the sustainable career development of new urban migrants, and found that psychological capital has a significant impact on career development, suggesting that governments and businesses should pay more attention to people’s psychological capital in order to facilitate sustainable career development [9]. Maria Palazzo et al. studied urban and rural destinations on Instagram, by inferring how influencers act as a central hub connecting urban and rural environments and raising awareness of their sustainable attributes [10]. Naser Shafiei Sabet et al. found that under sustainable socio-economic conditions, urban–rural interactions achieved mutually beneficial positive performance in the area of economic linkages. The positive impacts of this reciprocal interaction included improvements in employment, income, and intergenerational wealth [11]. Using a territorial and integrated approach based on ecological and socio-economic factors, Ramon Felipe Bicudo da Silva et al. proposed that coupled urban–rural systems are a powerful concept for addressing synergies and potential linkages between urban and rural areas, capable of promoting more sustainable agricultural systems and improving ecosystem services [12]. Related studies in the literature have focused on the relationship between economic and environmental factors and urbanization, ignoring human factors [7].

In addition to studying the relationship between urban and rural areas, several researchers have also discussed the sustainable development of rural areas themselves. Tamara Fonseca et al. found that the challenge in developing rural communities is to combine socio-economic promotion with environmental protection. The village in their work used the sustainable aquaculture of low trophic level local fish to realize the sustainable development of the village [13]. Giovanni et al. proposed that each local action team applies a strategy of strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat analysis. This strategy can identify strategic elements for rural municipalities to be allocated to the European Agricultural Development Fund budget [14]. Marlinde et al. explored how multi-actor governance systems can be implemented and the constraints and enablers involved. Marlinde successfully played the role of multi-party governance in coordinating farm modernization and sustainable rural development [15]. Xu et al. found that local farmers in rural areas are directly related to the sustainable development of rural tourism. In-depth interviews and grounded theory were used to construct a relationship model among farmers’ relative lack perception, coping behaviors, and sustainable tourism development [16]. In the study of rural sustainable development, tourism is an activity that directly or indirectly promotes the development of rural areas [17]. In recent years, the sustainable development of tourism villages has attracted more and more attention from researchers [18].

2.2. Sustainable Development of the Tourist Village

Tourism villages originated in Europe in the 19th century. Under the development background of the third scientific and technological revolution in the middle of the 20th century, cities (traffic congestion, air pollution, land use, etc.) appeared as “counter-urbanization”. Since then, the tourist countryside has developed at a high speed. Rural areas have also evolved from separate economic developments into a new environment expansion of multi-functional agricultural systems (namely tourism), and related tourism rural industries and heritage resources have developed synchronously [19]. Foreign research results on the tourism countryside have mainly focused on concept discrimination, the construction model, and the development management of the tourism countryside [20]. The research on the tourism countryside in China started in 1998, mainly considering three aspects: concept, characteristics, and tourism themes. After 2014, studies were carried out on the construction mode, characteristic rural cultural tourism, and the planning of the tourism countryside. More and more tourism rural speculation, spatial planning, and development models are being favored by scholars [21].

At the present stage, China’s tourism countryside is facing the dual pressure of economic growth and resource protection. Sustainable development of the tourism countryside is an inevitable demand for its long-term economic and stable development in the post-epidemic era, and rural reform is particularly important. At present, sustainable tourism rural development is mainly centered on three levels: ecological, sociocultural, and economic sustainability. In terms of agricultural tourism and agriculture, Addinsall greatly promotes the improvement of economic and ecological sustainability in rural areas by strengthening the connection between tourism villages and agriculture and providing tourism rural products [22]. This ensures diversity in the sustainable development of tourism villages. At the same time, tourist satisfaction and community participation also add the “new tourism” concept of sustainable development of the tourism countryside. As the main operator of tourism villages, active community participation and management are important factors to maintain the vitality of tourism villages [23]. To measure the sustainable development of tourism villages, effective communication, management, evaluation, and feedback should be carried out [24]. Ernesto pointed out that the adoption of effective scientific methods to obtain the index feedback of tourist destinations can effectively promote the robustness of the sustainable development of tourism villages [25].

In addition, the development of tourism countryside also needs to be combined with the development form, field research, and other content to achieve urban and rural spatial coordination. For example, Hou et al. proposed a guarantee-mechanism for farmers’ participation in tourism development, considering the institutional environment, interest subjects, development forms, and practical significance for farmers’ participation, so as to protect the development of tourism villages [26]. Chen et al. analyzed the relationship between the sustainable development of the tourism countryside and rural areas, and they discussed the feasibility and necessity of introducing quantitative land consolidation into the tourism countryside [27]. Wang et al. studied rural Jiangsu by Space Syntax, which optimized the road space in the countryside and served to improve the ecological function of the countryside [28].

By comparing the development and research trends of sustainable tourism countryside at home and abroad, we found that the tourism countryside is a contradiction that needs to be solved urgently in terms of the sustainable development of urban and rural areas. Especially the sustainable development of tourist villages is getting more and more attention from researchers. Although China has learned relevant qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques from abroad, it is still lacking in combining quantitative research techniques and methods such as sociology, statistics, geography, and psychology. At the same time, urban residents are yearning for rural life and a return to the double severe form, which reflects the complex relationship between the countryside and the population in the development of the tourism countryside. Finally, we have emphasized the material conditions and economic benefits of rural tourism development, and we have ignored the synergistic development between rural tourism and culture, the economy, and the ecological environment.

3. Materials and Methods

3.1. Population Analysis Theory

Population analysis (PA) is a multi-perspective and multi-model analysis method, which includes model population analysis (MPA) [29]. PA was first used in chemical and biological modeling, mainly by collecting a large number of samples for screening and differentiation, generating samples with high metrics and reliability, and ultimately obtaining more reliable predictions. PA has been used as a powerful analytical model not only for structural population analysis and trajectory analysis, but also in various fields of plant and animal analysis and climate analysis. Yun et al. proposed a demographic analysis (APA) approach to complement and expand the framework of PA analysis [30]. Artur et al. applied PA variables to eco-elastic systems to broaden the application of competing population theory for qualitative system modeling of differential equations [31]. The theory translates multidimensional and complex content into a systematic and intuitive language, while maintaining the stability of variables and parameters, thereby enriching theory and solving practical content and expanding the thinking and application of population analysis in various fields. Population analysis is also being innovated to varying degrees, such as the division of population patterns into types that track both structured and unstructured populations. On the other hand, population analysis and management can not only be evaluated and tracked for detection but is also used effectively for data detection. This provides public space design guidance to help planners optimize space utilization, protect public safety, and better serve future development. As a powerful analysis model, PA is mainly applied to social attribute analysis, demographic change, business attribute analysis, psychological attribute analysis, and other fields [32].

In addition, population analysis theory has been applied to the spatial development of urban environments. Bertram argued that improving our understanding of the relationship between the characteristics (structure and composition) of green spaces in public cities and the dimensions of human well-being can effectively enhance human habitats [33]. Mao et al. pointed out that the primary task of urban ecological construction is human-centered assessment, and that population analysis can enrich multi-level ecosystem services while promoting the well-being and health of the inhabitants [34]. Anastasia used six strategies (safety, naturalness, friendliness, accessibility, activity, and socialization) for friendly senior park design by analyzing the needs of the low-income senior population to improve healthy play spaces for low-income seniors in Los Angeles [35]. PA allows analysis of population relationships that enhance change with society. It has stability. Therefore, PA can be applied in the fields of habitat, ecological construction, and urban and rural development [33,34,35]. However, population analysis can only meet the needs of a few users and lacks quantitative calculation analysis for the overall planning analysis of the space, which may lead to unreasonable space design.

3.2. Space Syntax

With the development of technology, scientific quantitative research using mathematical language is gradually replacing perceptual textual descriptions. Many discipline leaders have embarked on computer-aided scientific research in pursuit of scientific accuracy of research results. In the late 1970s, Hillier and Hanson proposed Space Syntax, a theory and methodology that deals with the study of the relationship between spatial organization and human society [36]. It is characterized by analyzing and predicting the flow of people in a space. Firstly, the space is considered as an independent element. Secondly, quantitative analysis and evaluation of spatial patterns are carried out. Finally, scientific data are realized. Space Syntax is used as a quantitative means to describe space quantitatively through “depthmap”, expressing the relationship and laws between spatial organization, people, and society. It can be applied in many fields, such as archaeology, urban planning, and tourism. Space Syntax is mainly applied to theoretical analysis of built environment space at all scales. It also has a wide range of applications in architecture and urban design. In addition, Space Syntax has a wide range of applications in the fields of archaeology, information technology, urban and human geography, and anthropology [37,38,39,40,41,42].

Domestic research on Space Syntax has mainly focused on spatial macro to micro analysis, including many aspects of cities, historical districts, and interiors. Gu et al. adopted Space Syntax and spatial autocorrelation methods to improve the convenience and planning rationality of cities by combing the multi-scale network traffic system for 13 cities in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River [38]. Wang et al. studied and updated the integration of the historical neighborhoods of Jiangmen City based on Space Syntax and Geographic Information Science (GIS) integration ideas, to build a new spatial idea of interactions between material and immaterial dual-aspect elements [39]. Ying et al. made use of Space Syntax (visual depth integration), analyzed the urban street view surface and sight length, and obtained the distribution location of pedestrian public facilities with positive feedback from users [40]. Hegazi argued that Space Syntax combined with multiple techniques can effectively analyze the socio-spatial vulnerability of heritage buildings and predict human destructive behaviors, contributing to the development of countermeasures and the preservation of the sustainable development of heritage buildings [41].

This study mainly used Axial Line analysis in Space Syntax and explores its application in rural planning. The relevant formulas are introduced below, and a reasonable mathematical model ensured the objectivity of the operation results [42].

3.2.1. Connectivity

The connection value refers to the number of nodes in a space that can intersect or connect to another space in the overall space. In space syntax, the higher the connection value, the greater the number of nodes connected in a space. A higher connection value means higher space permeability. The formula for calculating the connectivity value is shown in Equation (1):

$$L_x={\displaystyle \sum }_x{R}_{xy}$$

(1)

where R_xy is the relationship between axis x and axis y in the system.

3.2.2. Choice

The degree of selection is derived from the connection value. Selectivity refers to the number of times on the shortest topological path from any one element of the system to another. The higher the selectivity, the more likely it is that the space will be traversed by traffic and pedestrian flow. The formula for calculating selectivity is shown in Equation (2):

$$c_x={\displaystyle \sum }_{j=1}^k\frac{1}{L_j}$$

(2)

where k is the number of axes directly connected to x; j is the axes directly connected to x; j is an integer, 1 ≤ j ≤ k; and L_j is the connection value of the j axes.

3.2.3. Depth

Depth refers to the shortest topological step from any one node to all other nodes in the system. The depth value represents the accessibility of a node in a topological sense, i.e., the ease of access in a space system. The formula for calculating the depth value is shown in Equation (3):

$$\mathrm{Depth}={\displaystyle \sum }_{j=1}^n{d}_{ij}$$

(3)

where d_ij denotes the shortest path (expressed in steps) from node i to node j.

3.2.4. Integration

The integration degree is one of the most used variables in Space Syntax and optimizes the depth value. The integration degree expresses the potential of a node within a system to attract other nodes. The greater the degree of integration, the higher its accessibility and aggregation. The formula for calculating the global integration degree is shown in Equation (4):

$$GI=\frac{1}{{RRA}_i}=\frac{D_n}{{RA}_i}=\frac{D_n(n-2)}{{2(MD}_i-1)}$$

(4)

where MD_i indicates the relative depth value, $M{D}_i=\frac{{{\displaystyle \sum }}_f^n=1^{d_{ij}}}{n-1}$; n is the number of all nodes in the connectivity graph; and D_n is the normalization parameter, $D_n=2\left\{n\left(lo{g}_2\left(\frac{n+2}{3}-1\right)+1\right)\right\}/\left\{\left(n-1\right)\left(n-2\right)\right\}$.

Therefore, the Space Syntax method has the analytical advantages of spatial optimization, spatial combination, and spatial reconfiguration. It can be used for both road simulation by Space Syntax (integration) and analysis by Space Syntax (visual depth integration and choice). The multiple regression model was constructed to express the influence of road networks on the spatial layout, and to explore whether the spatial layout makes full use of spatial self-organization structure and law. It provides quantitative scientific support for urban design, archaeology, and other professional system planning. However, because the rapidly developing urban–rural space gradually faces the intervention of social relations, the development of space is in urgent need of scientific and rational guidance planning. At the same time, the rationalization of the calculation is prone to the lack of humanized design. It not only ignores the feelings of the people who use it. It also affects the experience of the people who use it. After more than twenty years of development, Space Syntax has become a school of architectural research with significant influence in the world. This has led to a lack of creative application results in Space Syntax and an urgent need for new space theories and methods [37].

3.3. Space Syntax Based on Population Analysis (SSPA): Study on the Optimal Design of Tourism-Oriented Rural Space

Currently, the simple quantitative prediction of Space Syntax cannot be applied to the development of complex and changing social spaces, especially rural tourism spaces. [43]. The form of space is a physical manifestation of the social population. As social populations develop, independent spatial relations are transformed in the context of agglomeration. Influencing factors include production lifestyles, social structures, industrial structures, spatial forms, and psychological consciousness. Therefore, we need a new approach to understanding the relationship between physical constructions and populations.

This study proposes a novel and powerful space population analysis (SSPA) method applied to tourist village design. The SSPA is a Space Syntax study based on population analysis and proposes a spatial place optimization method that includes the space population analysis method. The SSPA collects the variable space and sample space for a normal sample and outlier selection through the model framework. For example, a large number of samples on spatial improvement are screened, as well as differentiated, by collecting the satisfaction and demand of the people in the spatial area. The space syntax method is used to analyze and predict the topographic foot traffic, and the most feasible development space is deduced by combining the two terms. Applied to real sites, the analysis of the population structure of the site is put in place to guide the Space Syntax prediction. It is characterized by highlighting the relationship between spatial form and population society, considering the combination of analysis between the internal and external aspects of the group; first, by understanding and accessing the way populations need and interact with social changes, and second, based on topographic spatial optimization, it extends the presentation and analysis of group socio-spatial relationships using Space Syntax to creatively modify space. Finally, it reveals the expression of social life space time and matter. The method combines rational and emotional analysis by combining the advantages of population analysis and Space Syntax. We hope that the method can provide a humanized qualitative and quantitative calculation of the tourist countryside space. While scientifically optimizing the space, it meets the usage requirements of different people. In the future, we also hope that the method can break through the limitations and be applied to the optimal design of spatial flow in hospitals, commercial areas, parks, and other areas.

In summary, this optimization of rural tourism space by the SSPA method is systematic (systematic analysis), practical (combination of qualitative and quantitative), and concise (easy to understand). Distinguishing from separate population analysis subjective evaluation or independent analysis of Space Syntax, the SSPA can retain the primary and secondary contradictions with maximum intensity, thus decomposing the different constituent factors. By selecting factors with higher weights for quantitative analysis, new phenomena of different levels of aggregation combination and categorization are obtained. Their advantages are specifically reflected in the following four aspects. Firstly, providing fixed rural spaces and demands that meet and exceed the existing ones. Secondly, creating and delivering temporary spatial nodes of rural tourism, including products and services, to meet the changing population expectations. Thirdly, using population analysis to deepen the space to support the decision-making process of tourism rural spatial design. Fourthly, seeking and establishing new non-mobile spatial design collection channels and methods. Therefore, it is foreseeable that this method can also be used in urban spatial development to specifically study old city renewal and development zone planning for sustainable development (Figure 1).

4. Results

4.1. Space Changes of Tourist-Oriented Villages

4.1.1. Change of Street Space

With the continuous development of urbanization and industrialization, the urbanization process has greatly influenced the space and pattern of the tourism-oriented countryside. At the beginning of the 21st century, the tourism-oriented countryside was ushered into an era of comprehensive development. The specific manifestation is the rapid development of industries based on traditional rural agriculture. In recent years, the tourism-oriented countryside has shown that it lacks a development model and an understanding of its own development. Recently, the tourism-oriented countryside gradually moved towards a sustainable development stage. However, the development of the tourism-oriented countryside then gradually declined, as follows.

• Tourism-oriented villages differ from ordinary villages by adhering to traditional factors. Traditional factors include natural scenery, simple folk customs, and historical culture. However, under the synergy of scenic spots, tourism-oriented villages have gradually deviated from this direction in their development. The tourism-oriented countryside began catering to scenic spots.
• In terms of the overall space of the countryside, most tourist-oriented villages present a fully or semi-encircled spatial pattern. This can cause changes in the topography and location of tourist villages, which further leads to internal spatial obstruction. At the same time, the rapid development of the countryside from 1995 to 2007 resulted in the original space structure not conforming to the development.
• The development of the tourism-oriented countryside is inseparable from the perception of the development of the countryside. With the influx of foreign capital, merchants gradually became a relevant interest population for rural tourism development. The traditional population structure of the tourism-oriented countryside was transformed into a triple composition of villagers, tourists, and merchants. Due to the historical development, the development space of the original tourist villages will cause the road system to become blocked. Firstly, the curved space formed can make visitors difficult to identify and affect their viewing experience. Secondly, under the promotion of urbanization, the consciousness information of villagers in tourism-oriented villages is constrained by asymmetric cultural factors. Finally, rural residents forcibly turn public roads into private spaces because they do not understand the importance of rural tourism. The unreasonable planning of the street space in terms of location and space leads to the gradual loss of the original vitality of the tourist-oriented countryside.

4.1.2. Change of Cultural Space

“Culture” determines the way people materially produce, exchange, and consume [44]. Folk culture covers the dimensions of material production, annual festivals, and folklore. It not only constitutes the core of village culture, but also highlights the characteristics of locality, ethnicity, and tradition. Folk culture is the foundation of each country’s culture. Moreover, it is the capital under which the countryside has survived for a long time. Although village life has undergone a historical transformation, folk culture still determines the villagers’ way of life. At the same time, in different contexts of the times, folk culture still has a better national value in various different ways. As an important cultural place, tourism-oriented villages are not only the export of traditional culture, but also the source of cultural revitalization and cultural confidence for villages.

With the changing times, urbanization has brought tremendous changes to the social structure and lifestyles of many tourist-oriented villages. The urbanization process has impacted the sense of community and community culture patterns of traditional rural societies. This has resulted in a continuous reduction of public cultural space in the countryside. As data show, China’s resident population in rural areas has declined at an average annual rate of 0.7 million since 1990. The resident population in rural areas has decreased from 784 million to 592 million. The number of natural villages also decreased from 49 million, at an average rate of 3.773 million. The number of natural villages de-creased to 2.449 million [45]. Therefore, the countryside needs to be protected.

The tourism-oriented rural youth labor force is guided by the urban process and cultural insecurity, leading to the gradual migration of the rural labor force to form “hollow villages”. At the same time, the social relationship based on clan and blood ties gradually disintegrates, and the social structure and way of life undergo disruptive changes. This has not only impacted the ideology and community culture of traditional rural society but has also caused changes in the structure of urban and rural populations. Specifically, the population composition of tourism-oriented villages has changed to include three main bodies: foreign tourists, merchants, and elderly people staying in the villages. The local culture of the foreigners and foreign merchants has caused the older villagers to be unable to hold on to their original native culture. This results in a lack of fresh forces to pass on the traditional culture of the villagers, which further leads to a lack of access to the unique local culture for the tourists. The resistance to cultural diversity of merchants can cause a cultural crisis, leading to a constant compression of the public cultural space in tourist-oriented villages. Public cultural spaces include bazaars and teahouses, where traditional cultural activities take place.

4.1.3. Change of Landscape Space

The rural landscape underwent a massive reshaping in the 18th to 19th century in the British Parliamentary Enclosure. The British national identity played a key role in the reshaping of the landscape and also influenced the development of landscape space in China. The rural landscape space is a complex space system formed by the interaction of material development elements and non-material development elements within a certain geographical area. Material development elements include population, land, etc., while non-material development elements include culture, institutions, etc. Therefore, the rural landscape space can also be regarded as a spatial carrier for villagers to carry out production and life. The emotional connection between people and the rural landscape is the bond of emotional transmission and connection between society and rural culture transmission [46]. Rural landscape imagery and emotions are of profound significance in measuring the quality of rural life. However, the wave of urbanization has blurred the boundary between urban and rural landscapes, leading to the gradual disappearance of rural landscape features [47].

The most obvious example of this is the tourist-type countryside, which is distinctly different from the traditional countryside. The tourism-oriented countryside has good natural and ecological resources. However, rapid urban expansion, agricultural production, and living pollution have already caused different degrees of damage to the ecological space of the countryside, for example, the lack of protection of rural environmental resources. Some waterfront spaces have good streams or ancient wells with high-quality water. However, the waterfront space lacks hard pavement and walking space, and spatial vitality is missing. There are rich forest landscape resources and ancient trees in the village, but the villages are overly dependent on the development of scenic spots. The lucrative economic development brought by residential accommodation forces agriculture to stagnate, which is followed by a mismatch between agriculture and tourism development. The node landscape space in the village cannot set up more conversation and leisure space in the short term due to the rural scale. Therefore, the necessary conditions for tourists cannot be met, which reduces villagers’ motivation. Tourists are also unable to experience the emotional connection in the landscape space. This also leads to the problem of stagnant economic development of the merchants. Villagers are unable to promote local ecological resources, creating a recurring cycle. The blurring of the boundaries of tourist-oriented villages and their integration with cities has led to a gradual weakening of the local attributes of the villages [48]. These factors accelerate the demise of the traditional characteristic landscape of tourist-oriented villages.

4.1.4. Change of Public Facilities

Public facilities are combined with transportation and space as a whole [49]. Public facilities are not only an important support system for urban and rural development, but also a direct influence on people’s well-being index. The vitality of streets and alleys is closely related to urban development. Tourism-based villages have received extensive attention from researchers as an important factor of urban development [50]. An important factor affecting the development of rural tourism is accessibility or reachability. This is reflected in the accessibility and convenience of tourism villages to the outside world. The development of tourism should first address issues such as transportation and related supporting facilities. This can effectively prevent the lagging development of public goods in the countryside.

For a long time, there has been a standardized and undifferentiated allocation of public service supply during the construction of new rural areas. This has resulted in prominent supply deficiencies and misalignments. It has also caused inefficient use of idle and wasteful resources. Homogenized rural public service facility standards and planning models have caused conflicts between villagers’ diversified needs. This seriously affects the traditional allocation model. For general villages, differentiated planning and allocation methods are basically applicable. For tourism-oriented villages, where spatial heterogeneity is prominent, the planning and allocation of public service facilities must reflect their essence. Tourism-oriented villages are nominally different from cities. The actual reliance and demand of villagers on public facilities are similar to those of urban residents. Villagers have a high demand for basic public facilities in the village, yet the supply of these in tourist villages is less than that of cities. This does not meet the diversified requirements of residents and leads to the loss of the original vitality and negative spatial problems of rural public space. At present, some public sports facilities in tourist-oriented villages are not properly maintained. A lack of necessary spatial planning affects villagers’ independent activities. Public sanitation facilities were built long ago, and their conditions of use are worrying. Such public sanitation facilities do not meet the marketing needs of tourists and merchants, let alone the daily public needs of villagers.

The above analysis shows that the space and function of tourist-oriented villages have been deteriorating with the development of economic urbanization. The space of tourist-oriented countryside includes street space, cultural space, landscape space, and public facilities. We need to fundamentally solve the problem that tourism-oriented rural space continues to deteriorate. We should make the tourism-oriented countryside sustainable. Therefore, we need to apply the SSPA method to examine the population change and renewal strategies of tourist-oriented villages. Here, we carried out the design practice of tourist-oriented rural space.

4.2. Background of Heping Village

4.2.1. Case Selection

The case was selected from Heping Village, Masan, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province (southeastern Jiangsu Province, China). Heping Village is located in the western half of the Masan Mountains, between Turtle Mountain to the northeast and Snake Mountain to the northwest of Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province (120°05′–120°14′ N, 31°36′–31°45′ E). It has a rich cultural heritage and beautiful natural resources. It covers an area of about 3.57 square kilometers, and its forest coverage rate is as high as 70%. Therefore, Heping Village is a typical tourist-type village. Secondly, the village has low hills as the main terrain. The altitude of the village ranges from 5 to 266 M. The village has a subtropical monsoon climate with abundant sunshine and a temperate climate throughout the year. The average annual temperature in Heping Village is around 17 °C. The annual sunshine hours can reach 1613.6 H. The precipitation is 1030.5 MM (Figure 2).

4.2.2. Site Analysis

In 1992, Heping Village of Masan and other areas were named as national tourist resorts in China. Heping Village is famous in China for its “leisure tourism” and “special scenic spots”. This attracts numerous tourists from home and abroad. However, in recent years, the development problems of the village have been gradually exposed due to the influence of the surrounding tourist attractions, such as Wuxi Nianhua Bay and Lingshan Scenic Area. The development problems include homogenization between the landscape and tourism industry, and disturbance of the local ecosystem. This has seriously damaged ecological processes, ecosystem services, and the ecological environment.

The spatial form of Heping Village is crippled, resulting in low road recognizability and few public facilities. This causes low spatial gathering power. The lack of public space enclosure causes good environmental landscape resources to fail due to people flow. This further leads to the inability to develop business and loss of capital in the village. At the same time, the loss of local culture and the cultural impact in the village has led to the desolation of cultural sites and historical buildings (Figure 3).

In addition, the existing population structure has evolved from two main bodies of villagers and tourists to three main bodies of use: villagers, merchants, and tourists. This causes the space within the village to be squeezed due to unbalanced development. The problem of a mismatch between ecological and human resources and public environmental facilities has led to a lack of vitality in the village. For the modern and harmonious development of the village, the intra-village space urgently needs to be updated and optimized. We first applied the SSPA method to research and collect the three major populations. Then, according to the voting and demand degree, we filtered to obtain higher weighted influence. The most precise needs of the villagers were finally obtained (Figure 4).

4.3. Optimal Design of Tourism Rural Space Based on SSPA Analysis Method

After analyzing the current situation of tourism-oriented villages by the SSPA method, we found that the main constituent populations of tourism-oriented villages include villagers, merchants, and tourists. Taking the three major use subjects as the entry perspective, Space Syntax (integration, visual depth integration, and choice) was applied to spatial optimization of the existing difficult points and population needs. The spatial optimization includes four aspects: street space, cultural space, landscape space, and public facilities. A typical case study was conducted to verify the applicability and feasibility of the method.

The case study was centered on the theme of spatial optimization and sustainable development of tourism-oriented villages. The research orientation was from problem to analysis, followed by spatial optimization, using the SSPA method of research. Based on the spatial optimization of population analysis and the Spatial Syntax method, theoretical breakthroughs and methodological innovation were carried out for the relevant studies of the countryside. Eventually, the interaction between the three was increased and the space of rural development optimized (Figure 5).

The premise of developing Heping Village was to see it as a whole, which means that it needs to be connected to the north and south pieces separated by Snake Mountain. This includes three characteristic roads and four functional areas (playing area, viewing area, conversation area, and experience area). The purpose was to optimize the tourist-oriented rural space and enhance the spatial vitality. Four types of spaces were summarized: street space, cultural space, environmental landscape space, and public facilities. Material space and immaterial space, and open space and semi-open space, were planned for the three major user populations. Then, we increased the interactive communication and village transformation among the three. We further created the “Landscape Farmland Road”, “Landscape Walk”, and “Cultural Memory Road” to guide visitors to Heping Village. Ultimately, the development of the village will be driven through “lines” (Figure 6). The space for optimization was evaluated by villagers, tourists, and merchants, and feedback was provided. In addition, 83.3% of the residents thought that the optimized space was more convenient, comfortable, and interesting.

4.3.1. Street Space Optimization

• Horizontal space of streets and alleys

The street space not only carries the life trajectory of the villagers but is also the place where visitors get the most intuitive feeling of the characteristics of the space. In Heping Village, there are problems such as fragmentation of spatial forms, low integration, an imperfect road network structure, and low road density. For the street space problem, the integration with the SSPA method population demand and Space Syntax were studied. The use of difficult space was optimized, and the original spatial texture was continued with the development of sustainable street space. We researched the needs of the people in Heping Village for the horizontal space of streets and alleys. Based on the population analysis, we used the space syntax method to optimize the design of the horizontal space of village streets and alleys to achieve the purpose of sustainable development of the horizontal space of streets and alleys. The specific scheme is shown as follows:

By clarifying the needs of visitors and merchants in Heping Village, the road on the east side of the village was preserved while bringing the flow of people from the east side to the west side. According to the villagers’ wishes, the road is repaired to go straight to each household while the original spatial texture remains unchanged. This can effectively improve the convenience of villagers’ life and the accessibility of roads throughout the village.

Based on the above population analysis, we optimized the spatial design of the west side and the main flat road “A” through the space syntax. We optimized the west side road “A” and the east side road “B” excessive (Figure 7a), to the west side road “A” and the east side road “B”. The missing spatial texture of the village was repaired and returned to its original spatial form (Figure 7b). At the same time, the high-grade road was used for daily passenger buses and merchants to transport goods. Trucks and buses were divided into different time slots to enter the village, ensuring that the low-grade roads only take daily passage and do not have the function of large-scale transportation. In turn, the spatial scale of streets and alleys in the village was maintained. Through the fine-tuning of the road network, three special roads were given thematic functions. The three distinctive roads were the Heihei Main Landscape Farmland Road “A”, the East Side Landscape Walking “B”, and the South Side Cultural Memory Road “C”. This will increase the pedestrian flow in the village (Figure 7b). In addition, both sides of the street were landscaped for road optimization. The optimization of the road can increase the surrounding green space and entice villagers to go out and talk.

Through the space syntax of population analysis, we found that road optimization has a clear advantage, and the integration degree of peace village is 21% higher than before optimization. The optimization of the road not only improves spatial recognizability, but also helps to enhance tourists’ cognition of the countryside. Location positioning can grasp the sense of the tourism experience of the village. Demolishing the illegal return of roads enables the sustainable development of the village. Sorting out and unifying the roads and accessibility of the space throughout the village can effectively stimulate the spatial vitality.

• Longitudinal space of streets and alleys

A space view corridor should leave a certain range of space for sight line access. The open space can create a better viewing environment. The visual depth integration of Space Syntax can visually express the visual space [51]. The privatization of the public space is on the west side of the main peaceful road in the village, which can cause some problems, such as poor walk-through ability and obstructed spatial visibility. This has caused the unused public space land to become private space for villagers to build illegal structures. Causing unused public space land to become private space for villagers to erect illegal structures, hindering the development of the space (Figure 8a). We researched the needs of the people of Heping Village for the longitudinal space of streets and alleys. Based on the population analysis, we used the space syntax method to optimize the design of the longitudinal space of the village streets and alleys to achieve the purpose of sustainable development of the longitudinal space of the streets and alleys. The specific scheme is shown as follows.

By clarifying the needs of visitors, merchants, and villagers in Heping Village, we removed spaces that obstructed the view of the population. We optimized the village roads. At the same time, we demolished the illegal building cakes to fix the unreasonable land space in a five-year period.

On the basis of the above-mentioned population analysis, we have used Space Syntax to de-clutter the space, maintain the spatial texture while enhancing the visibility of the space, and improve the safety of the rural space (Figure 8b). By decorating the walls along the street, the effect of step one can be achieved. The height of buildings was limited to preserve the original low-rise houses in the countryside, which helped to open up the space. Combined with the integration of street space and space selection degree, the blocked space was optimized to form a wide and narrow rhythmic space. This was conducive to the street space and view space being more open.

Through the space syntax of population analysis, we found that the optimized visual field space is more open. For example, the visibility of the reachability domain of the gathering spaces, such as the circle space in black, was significantly improved (Figure 8b). The spare assembly space gives the village multifunctional interactive central green space. The gathering space can satisfy the three main users, and the assembly space can activate the vitality of the village and fulfill the concept of leisure farmland.

4.3.2. Cultural Space Optimization

Traditional Chinese architecture is the expression of traditional Chinese culture. Traditional architecture carries the epitome of ideas of different times. The cultural heritage is the expression of cultural confidence. Cultural heritage includes cultural and historical integrity, uniqueness, manufacturing characteristics, and aesthetic characteristics. All these characteristics have a positive impact on people [52]. The loss of local culture and the impact of foreign culture have led to the “marginalization” of the original cultural connotations. It is necessary to further integrate the Wuxi culture and strengthen the main position of the “Xi” culture. Firstly, the traditional architectural form was continued. The traditional eaves and the traditional silk culture of Wuxi were split into elements. The integration resulted in a meandering roof. Secondly, the traditional elements (green tiles, bamboo, wood, white walls, etc.) were integrated with modern elements (glass, mirrors, etc.). We synergized the traditional Wuxi elements in the development. Eventually, we optimized and displayed this through space synergy (Figure 9).

Traditional cultural space has a certain degree of place. Place not only provides a place for villagers to remember traditional culture with tourists, but also brings economic benefits for merchants. For the setting of small nodes of cultural space, we utilized the existing “ginkgo trees”, “old stone houses”, and other nodes in the village to open up the rural space. We researched the demand for traditional cultural space from the people of Heping Village. Based on the population analysis, we used the Space Syntax method to optimize the design of traditional cultural space to achieve the purpose of sustainable development of traditional cultural space. The specific scheme is shown as follows:

We identified the needs of three major populations of people for traditional cultural spaces. Villagers need cultural output to enhance their cultural confidence. Tourists need access to cultural input to improve their insight. Businesses need to use traditional culture to develop their economy. Through the population analysis, we identified areas that can satisfy both traditional cultural output and access to historical and cultural learning input.

Based on the above population analysis, we quantified the Space Syntax to get two major nodes to meet the population demand. The two major nodes are the main nodes of quantification, which are the comprehensive activity center and the Zhangu Dun Cultural Center site.

We utilized the traditional cultural center of Wuxi for the design of the comprehensive activity center. We designed it to better display the traditional cultural space. The architectural elements take the form of traditional landscapes combined with modern materials, both for traditional culture and for modern lifestyles. The traditional culture was interspersed with the display of bright space and the dark inculcation of the eyes and ears, adding open space, the activity square, and semi-open space. We planned an invisible outdoor market with wooden fence partition. The invisible outdoor bazaar meets the functions of daily folk culture, villagers’ public activities, merchants’ daily trading, and tourists’ distribution center in different seasons and time periods. This enhances the permeability of the space. The open space is used as a daily market space for individual villagers and outside merchants (Figure 10a,b).

Zhangu Dun Cultural Center is a highlight that distinguishes it from the surrounding touristic villages. It also serves as a memory point for the continuation of traditional culture. In the design of space for gathering people in the countryside, local design elements can give the most intuitive feeling of regional characteristics. The Hui-style architecture in Heping Village is well preserved. The static language was extracted through the surviving historical buildings and materials. In terms of color creation, the main colors were green, white, and gray. This can express the landscape farmland mood. In terms of logo creation, the traditional continuous sloping roof shape of the countryside was adopted to form a unique logo. We built a new cultural exhibition hall, handicraft workshop, rest area, comprehensive activity center, and Zhangu Dun Cultural Center (Figure 10c–f). This not only enhances the communication between tourists and traditional culture, but also meets the space needs of the three main users.

Through Space Syntax of population analysis, we found that traditional folk culture experiences in the village such as tea frying and wine making bring villagers confidence. Visitors can enhance the interaction with villagers when they learn about traditional culture. Merchants also gain more economic benefits based on traditional culture. All three major user populations gain satisfaction in the traditional cultural space and enhance the vitality of the cultural space in Heping Village.

4.3.3. Landscape Space Optimization

The village is rich in natural resources of mountains, forests, and farmland. We selected the landscape spaces in order, according to the needs of the three major populations of people. The landscape space mainly comprises the two main parts—natural resources and environmental landscape. On the basis of the above population analysis, we used Space Syntax to select four strip landscape node spaces. For example, the observation deck (Figure 11a), the village entrance landscape (Figure 11b), the waterfront interactive walkway (Figure 11c), the village street landscape nodes (Figure 11d), the interactive waterfront walkway outside the village (Figure 11e), and the open interactive walkway (Figure 11f) were formed in turn. The spatial configuration is tailored to the people who use it, with unique elements such as the Taihu boat as the waterfront space at the entrance of the village and the Taihu lookout at the top of the hill. To avoid the destruction of natural resources, the waterfront space and the hilltop space were designed as corridor space. This satisfied both the user crossing function and space stay. The park landscape space was set up as a population of small semi-enclosed class open spaces. It also satisfied the functions of large gatherings of people and a small conversation space.

In terms of landscape creation in the village, the main road was planted with plants such as the traditional poplar, tea tree, and pear tree. This formed a unique symbolic label for the village. The landscape vignettes were chosen from the common vegetation planted in Heping village, such as yellow flowering plants and hedges, and other vignettes were placed at the corners of the village. The design of low shrubs in the villagers’ courtyards enhanced the unique regional characteristics of the countryside. This also satisfied the card-punching psychology of villagers and tourists. It improved the publicity effect and will also promote the economic interests of merchants.

4.3.4. Optimization of Public Facilities

Tourism-based villages are a product of the impact of modern development. Heping Village is not only a village but is also a tourist-oriented village. The optimization of public facilities emphasizes the development of modern facilities within the village. The optimization of public facilities was based on the existence of small nodes relative to the village. Through population analysis, we identified the optimal and most suitable radius of choice in the space for villagers, merchants, and visitors to the public space. The main design factors include the travel time and distance of villagers, tourists, and merchants, and the relatively fixed two travel modes of walking and cycling. Based on the above population analysis, we optimized the public facilities by the Space Syntax method. We finally selected two search radius (200 M, 1200 M) for small node setting.

The 200 M (radius of choice) radius walking way was within the acceptable walking distance for villagers and tourists. Therefore, convenient living service points were set up at a radius of 1200 M (radius of choice). In the 200 M service radius, for example, the “black circle marker”, resting seats, and transportation facilities were set up. For the later introduction of bicycle sharing facilities (Figure 12a), the 1200 M service radius, the “black circle sign”, was used as a service point for merchants. This allowed for a more multifunctional public facility space and provided a walk-through recharge service. This was a more targeted space for merchants and visitors. The service nodes were within 1200 M walking distance of the village entrance, integrated activity center, and cultural activity center areas. This showed the strong public space node service and culture of tourism-oriented villages. At the same time, it met the different requirements of the three main users of the space (Figure 12b).

5. Discussion

This paper examined the tourist countryside through the SSPA analysis method. The SSPA method was used to optimize the design of tourism village problems. The problems mainly included deterioration of the living environment, insufficient cultural connotations, degradation of street space vitality, and a lack of communication space [53]. Firstly, the SSPA method was applied to analyze the population and space. Secondly, the demand integration of space around the change of population structure was carried out. The main population structure of the existing tourist villages was changed from villagers and tourists to three major user populations: villagers, tourists, and merchants. The space was quantitatively analyzed by combining the population demands. The nodal spaces applicable to the three major populations of users were integrated. Finally, the existing space was improved in four major aspects: street space, cultural space, landscape space, and public facilities. By increasing the interaction and communication among the three, and with the renewal and development of the village, a new village model was constructed. The village model contained tourist villages, different functional points, road axes, and multiple areas. Relevant authors focus on the design of parts of rural spaces, such as cultural spaces or nodal spaces [54,55]. Therefore, they do not consider the design of tourist countryside space comprehensively enough. We optimized the space of tourist villages comprehensively through SSPA, and considered the development relationship among street space, culture, ecological environment, and public facilities of tourist villages comprehensively. Comprehensive space optimization can improve the spatial layout, spatial accessibility, and spatial compound. This can effectively solve the problem of hollowing out of tourist villages.

At the same time, previous studies did not considerthe impact of population change on the development of tourist villages, especially the psychological impact of the population on the space. This has led to a lack of comprehensive and humanistic space design in tourist villages [56]. We proposed a new space theory and approach (SSPA) [37]. We found that the contradictory between-population differences and space can be better dealt with through the SSPA method. The method targeted the integration and uncluttering of spatial roads in tourist villages based on the substantial needs of populations. This can effectively open the internal spatial accessibility of tourist villages. It not only connects the landscape park space within the tourism countryside, but also meets the multifaceted needs of different populations of people. Therefore, it can promote the spatial accessibility of the tourist countryside [57]. The SSPA avoids the singularity of single perspective, single model, and single method. It is characterized by a large number of stochastic samples to construct a database model, which is optimally designed according to the principle of majority voting or mean reversion [58]. For example, in the case of tourist villages, we used the SSPA to find that the existing tourist village populations have become three major populations (villagers, tourists, and traders). The proportion of merchants has gradually increased. Along with the spatial syntactic quantification, we performed temporal attrition analysis of the populations. We used the spatial node selection of convenience analysis. This can greatly add to the spatial selectivity and enhance the spatial dwellings. The SSPA method differs from separate population analysis or space syntax spatial quantification analysis as it can more effectively calibrate and solve the independent population demand within the space. The SSPA method can effectively calibrate and solve the spatial selectivity and improve the environment of physical space. Therefore, the SSPA method can be applied as a new Space Syntax for the spatial design and optimization of villages.

In the process of optimizing the space, we found that the cultural sites of the tourist villages determined the large nodes and multifunctional nodes. Secondly, multi-nodes set the needs and behaviors of the population. This will further aggravate the problem of hollowing out of tourist villages. Multiple tourist landscape areas need to be linked by street space. This can achieve the effect of multi-area population activity communication. Multifunctional complex public facilities can achieve multiple uses at the same time. For example, this paper proposed a general layout of Heping Village, merging two core areas into one, and using three roads to increase the flow of people. In addition, four functional areas (playing area, viewing area, conversation area, and experience area) and multiple landscape communication spaces were also set up, which can effectively optimize the spatial vitality of tourist-oriented villages to solve the above problems. However, in the study, we need to further think about the age population of the users and the barrier-free design. For example, it is necessary to optimize the spatial structure by expanding the service users and strengthening the inclusive design. In this way, we can better build a tourism-oriented countryside with humanistic care and harmonious development.

6. Conclusions

In response to the problem of hollowing out of tourist villages caused by the loss of vitality of space in the development process of tourist-oriented villages, we need to optimize the tourist village space. Contrary to the traditional tourist countryside’s demolition and construction, it is important for villages to pursue their own development. By seeking a bridge between attachment to tourist attractions and their own development, we can promote the sustainable development of tourist villages. In the spatial optimization of Heping Village in Wuxi, we proposed a new analysis method, Space Syntax of Population Analysis (SSPA). The method first examined the population structure of villagers, tourists, and merchants. The SSPA then analyzed the difficulty points that exist in the physical and non-physical spaces in the development of tourist villages. The method analyzed the population change and space mechanics, which can effectively solve the problems of the space of tourist villages in both the material and immaterial aspects. This method can provide new ideas for the design of urban space. It can solve the problems of spatial contradiction and population change in tourist villages. At the same time, it can optimize the space with leisure tourism, culture, and entertainment in civilized and harmonious symbiosis.

Specifically, we used the lens of the Space Syntax Approach to Population Analysis (SSPA). The study analyzed the main populations of people in the village and used quantitative linguistic analysis with the help of the SSPA. We improved the communication and interaction among villagers, merchants, and tourists, and realized the “trinity” of the village as a symbiotic space in which people are inseparable. Based on the theory of the SSPA, we focused on four aspects of spatial optimization: street space, cultural space, environmental space, landscape space, and public facilities. Building a vibrant and sustainable spatial development model will help to renew and optimize the space of Heping Village. It will not only improve the quality of life of villagers, but also promote the reliable economic development of merchants. Effectively improving the spatial structure of tourist villages not only promotes the sustainable development of villages but can also alleviate urban–rural conflicts. Ultimately, the spatial optimization of the countryside can promote the sustainable development of Chinese society.

There are some limitations to this study. In the study of tourism rural space design, SSPA conflicts with each other on the design of negative spaces favored by the population, leading to shortcomings in the design of special types of spaces. The SSPA design study is a prerequisite for optimizing the vitality of tourism-based villages, but the development of this type of village requires government and policy support. A collaborative approach is needed to explore the development path. The ultimate goal is to achieve a sustainable development of tourism-based villages in a harmonious and symbiotic way. Therefore, we hope to improve the framework through more directions and design cases in future research and apply SSPA to optimize the design of spatial flow in hospitals, commercial areas, parks, and other areas. We hope to enrich the accuracy and science of this research method through multi-faceted quantitative analysis and statistical tools.