Work

Bridging Heritage Conservation and Urban Sustainability: A Multidimensional Coupling Framework for Walkability, Greening, and Cultural Heritage in the Historic City of Shenyang

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Historic cities face a dual challenge of preserving cultural authenticity and adapting to modern urbanization, yet existing studies often overlook the multidimensional coupling mechanisms critical for sustainable urban renewal. This research has proposed a replicable framework to balance heritage conservation, ecological restoration, and pedestrian mobility. Focusing on the historic city of Shenyang, this study evaluated spatial dynamics via the Walkability Index (WI), Green View Index (GVI), and Cultural Heritage Index (CHI), and quantified their coupling coordination patterns. Multisource datasets including OpenStreetMap road networks, POIs, and Baidu street-view imagery were integrated. A Coupling Coordination Degree (CCD) model was developed to assess system interactions. Results revealed moderate overall walkability (WI = 42.66) with stark regional disparities, critically low greening (GVI = 10.14%), and polarized heritage distribution (CHI = 18.73) in Shenyang historic city. Tri-system coupling was moderate (CCD = 0.409–0.608), constrained by green-heritage disconnects in key districts. This work could contribute to interdisciplinary discourse by bridging computational modeling with human-centric urban design, providing scalable insights for global historic cities.

Source: Sustainability

DOI: 10.3390/su17125284

Authors: Li Li, Yongjian Wu, Jin Zhang

Institution: Northeastern University

Language: English

Topic: Urban Development and Cultural Heritage

Subfield: Urban Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896