Spatial patterns and optimization paths of rural residential–industrial synergy against the background of rural revitalization

Introduction Rural residential–industrial synergy is central to China’s rural revitalization strategy, yet county-level investigations in central hilly areas remain scarce. Existing studies predominantly focus on municipal scales or urban contexts, leaving a gap in understanding the spatial coordination mechanisms between living and production functions at the village level in topographically fragmented regions. To address this gap, this study examines Taojiang County, Hunan Province—a typical agricultural county in the central hilly region—to evaluate the spatial patterns and differentiation mechanisms of rural residential–industrial synergy. Methods Two separate evaluation index systems encompassing 14 indicators were constructed for the living and production domains across 216 administrative villages in 15 townships. We employed the analytic hierarchy process (AHP)–entropy comprehensive weighting method to determine indicator weights, integrating subjective expert judgment with objective dispersion-based weighting. The coupling coordination degree model was applied to quantify the synergy level between residential and productive functions, while spatial autocorrelation (Moran’s I) and Getis–Ord Gi* cold/hot spot analysis were used to identify spatial clustering patterns. Results The average coupling coordination degree of villages in Taojiang County was 0.492, approaching the near-imbalance threshold. The overall spatial pattern exhibited a “high in the east, low in the west” distribution, with most villages characterized by residential lag. Living space scores averaged 0.188, primarily constrained by public service facility provision and commercial diversity, whereas production space scores averaged 0.341, predominantly determined by per capita crop planting area and total agricultural output value. Cold and hot spot analysis revealed a pronounced northeast–southwest polarization: hot spots clustered in townships adjacent to the Yiyang urban area, while cold spots concentrated in southwestern townships constrained by complex terrain and lagging infrastructure. Discussion These findings confirm that county-level rural residential–industrial synergy remains generally low and spatially heterogeneous, shaped by the interplay of natural geography, transportation infrastructure timing, and urban proximity. Eastern villages benefit from the economic radiation and public service spillover of the adjacent urban center, whereas western villages face compounded marginalization from terrain fragmentation, late-stage infrastructure development, and population outflows. The study provides a theoretical framework and empirical basis for formulating differentiated optimization strategies—encompassing system coordination, governance restructuring, and regional linkage—for nine identified village types, thereby supporting targeted rural revitalization planning in central China’s hilly counties.