Traditional villages in high-altitude transition zones function as socio-ecological systems shaped by the interaction between environmental constraints and social institutions. This study examines 146 traditional villages in Northwest Sichuan, China, and proposes a geospatial–policy interface framework to analyze how cultural practices and policy interventions mediate these interactions. Spatial econometric tools, including the Gini coefficient and Moran’s I, are combined with Geodetector analysis to investigate spatial differentiation and driving mechanisms. The results identify a polycentric distribution pattern structured by elevation thresholds, with 68% of villages located between 2000 and 4000 m. Below 3500 m, cultural factors, particularly Tibetan–Qiang institutional practices, play a stronger role in sustaining settlement continuity, whereas ecological constraints become increasingly dominant above this level. Interaction analysis further indicates that coordinated policy measures generate stronger explanatory power than single-factor interventions, suggesting the presence of nonlinear synergies in settlement governance. These findings highlight the need to distinguish between environmental boundary conditions and culturally mediated adaptation processes in mountain regions. By demonstrating how altitude-stratified subsystems require differentiated governance strategies, the study contributes to ongoing discussions on mountain settlement sustainability and the localization of development policies under climate change.
Xu et al. (Fri,) studied this question.