Assessing the Impact of Spatial Restructuring on Subjective Well-Being in Peri-Urban Villages: Evidence from Rural Revitalization in China

Peri-urban village renewal in China has increasingly improved infrastructure and environmental conditions, but its effects on residents’ subjective well-being remain insufficiently understood. Taking Siqing Village in Chanba District, Xi’an, as a case study, this research examines how spatial restructuring is associated with residents’ perceptions of livability, place attachment, and well-being. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining field observation, spatial classification, questionnaire survey, semi-structured interviews, reliability and validity testing, Spearman correlation analysis, and hierarchical regression. The results show that recent renewal improved roads, lighting, sanitation, drainage, waste management, and housing interfaces. Questionnaire responses indicated generally positive evaluations of spatial restructuring and living environment satisfaction, although the highly positive distribution suggested a ceiling effect. Correlation analysis showed significant positive relationships among spatial restructuring perception, living environment satisfaction, place attachment, and subjective well-being. Regression results further indicated that place attachment had the strongest association with subjective well-being after spatial restructuring perception and living environment satisfaction were included. Interview findings revealed that physical improvements increased convenience and safety, but also raised concerns about reduced informal social interaction, weakened local character, and insufficient public space adaptability. The study concludes that peri-urban village renewal should not be evaluated only by visible environmental improvement, but also by its capacity to sustain everyday use, local familiarity, and residents’ emotional attachment to place.