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This study examines 292 Chinese traditional villages in Guangdong, employing GIS and GeoDetector to reveal their spatial differentiation characteristics and formation mechanisms. Results indicate a polycentric pattern comprising a high-density core, secondary high-density zones, and low-density scattered settlements. Socio-economic factors demonstrate greater explanatory power than natural factors overall, with road network density and population density exhibiting distinct non-linear optimal ranges. Interaction analysis indicates that temperature ∩ river distance (q = 0.957) holds the greatest explanatory power, reflecting composite baseline constraints of climate and water resources within Lingnan’s humid-warm environment. Based on this, a layered evolutionary logic is proposed: natural foundation, green space innovation, road network intervention, and actor network restructuring. This translates statistical interaction outcomes into spatial and institutional mechanisms. Further differentiated governance pathways are proposed: core zones should advance cultural-ecological value conversion and multi-stakeholder collaborative governance; secondary zones should implement threshold-based low-carbon resilient development; low-density scattered settlements should prioritise biodiversity-risk-based precision conservation and differentiated compensation. This research theoretically transcends the nature-society dichotomy, methodologically deepens the mechanism interpretation of geographic detectors, and practically provides operational guidance for data-driven zoning governance of traditional villages.
Yang et al. (Mon,) studied this question.