Reframing Minor Cultural Heritage as a Networked Spatial Resource: Jaḥruṃhiti and Heritage-Informed Land-Use Planning in the Kathmandu Valley

This study examines how minor cultural heritage can function as a spatial resource for heritage-informed land-use planning in historic settlements. Using the traditional water heritage structure jaḥruṃhiti in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, as an empirical case, it investigates spatial, socio-cultural and infrastructural relationships. Through a mixed-methods approach combining historical inscriptions, field documentation, and GIS-based spatial analysis, the study documented 476 jaḥruṃhiti across 52 settlements, yielding 92 historical inscriptions (530 to 1936 AD). A focused case study in Patan identified 162 jaḥruṃhiti, of which 45.06% remain functionally active. Spatial analysis revealed a highly clustered network (Average Nearest Neighbour ratio = 0.616, Z = −9.35, p < 0.001) that heavily intersects with ceremonial and major walking routes. Though sites near major temples were more likely to be inactive (logistic regression, p = 0.028), implicating functional decline, the traditional guthi trust system sustains the socio-cultural and ritual continuity. The study conceptualises jaḥruṃhiti as a networked spatial heritage resource rather than an isolated object. The key planning implication is the shift from monument-centric protection to a relational, multi-scalar framework. Municipal land-use authorities need to designate ceremonial routes as heritage corridors, integrating historic water networks into a wider HUL approach that values local minor heritage. This approach bridges the gap between national monument laws and local regulations, offering a replicable model for integrating heritage into sustainable urban planning.