Towards Sustainable Rural Revitalization: A Multidimensional Evaluation of Rural Vitality in China's Traditional Villages

Abstract Traditional villages constitute a significant component of China's rural heritage. In the context of national efforts to achieve sustainable rural revitalisation, there is a lack of comprehensive assessments of rural vitality that can evaluate the balance between the competing demands of heritage conservation and rural development. This study aims to address the gap by defining an evaluation index system, Rural Vitality Assessment (RVA), which comprehensively assesses both protective and developmental aspects while taking into account natural and cultural ecological factors. The study utilizes data from a total of 206 traditional villages located in Hebei Province and employs a model to classify and analyze both subjective evaluations collected by interview and questionnaire alongside objective data. The framework employed a combined weighting method to determine appropriate indicator weights, thus facilitating quantitative evaluation of the data obtained. The study shows that over 90% of traditional villages in Hebei Province exhibit an imbalance between protection and development, which could lead to gradual deactivation. Additionally, the spatial distribution of RVA outcomes shows polarization, with higher levels observed in the north and lower levels in the south. The study concludes that the RVA framework is an effective tool for analysing the vitality level, spatial distribution, and disadvantage indicators of villages at different zoning levels. The results can provide a reference for the formulation of targeted heritage protection and development planning strategies and further aid in the rational allocation of resources, helping to narrow the development gap between urban and rural areas.