Spatial Differentiation Mechanisms and Revitalization Strategies of Traditional Villages in the Xin’an River Basin: A Resilience-Inspired Spatial Planning Approach

Traditional villages in ecologically sensitive areas face structural dilemmas between preservation-induced stagnation and excessive commercialization under the combined pressures of rural revitalization and ecological protection. This study investigates the spatial differentiation and revitalization strategies of 250 nationally recognized traditional villages in the Xin’an River Basin from a resilience-inspired spatial planning perspective. GIS-based kernel density estimation and the Nearest Neighbor Index were applied to characterize spatial distribution patterns, while GeoDetector was used to evaluate the explanatory power of key natural and anthropogenic factors. The Minimum Cumulative Resistance (MCR) model was used to construct revitalization-suitability zones; resilience capacities were not directly measured; instead, they were used as heuristic planning concepts for interpreting the three consolidated priority regions: Core Conservation (absorptive), Moderate Revitalization (adaptive), and Ecological Conservation (transformative/reserve). The results reveal a pattern of small-scale clustering and large-scale dispersion. A total of 69.2% of the villages were located within 1.5 km of rivers, and 95.2% were situated below 500 m in elevation. Distance to rivers (q = 0.2345) and distance to roads (q = 0.1441) showed the highest explanatory power among the eight candidate factors. The framework provides resilience-inspired spatial guidance for balancing heritage conservation, ecological protection, and rural revitalization.