Morphological Typology and Contextual Constraints of High-Altitude Tibetan Rural Settlements: Evidence from Lhasa

Résumé fourni par la source

High-altitude rural settlements on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau have developed through long-term adaptation to terrain, hydrology, infrastructure, and socio-cultural organization. However, quantitative evidence on how settlement morphologies are typologically structured and how contextual constraints are associated with their differentiation remains limited. Taking 20 Tibetan rural settlements in the Lhasa River valley as samples, this study develops a hierarchical morphological typology and examines its contextual associations. Spatial indicators describing boundary form, building layout, and spatial organization were constructed from remote sensing imagery, settlement mapping, and field observations. Hierarchical clustering identified a two-level typological structure, comprising two higher-order morphological branches and four detailed settlement archetypes. ANOVA and Kruskal–Wallis tests indicated significant inter-type differences in key morphological indicators, including shape index, building density, inter-building distance, building disorder, and spatial centrality. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis was then conducted at the higher-order branch level to explore how elevation, slope, river proximity, road accessibility, and religious-spatial context combine in relation to broader morphological differentiation. The results indicate that high-altitude settlement morphology is associated with multiple contextual configurations, with no single condition acting as a universal explanatory factor. Extended–loose settlements are generally linked to more open valley settings, whereas constrained organized settlements are associated with stronger terrain, accessibility, or corridor-based spatial constraints. Although the identified archetypes are specific to the Lhasa River Valley, the analytical framework provides a basis for comparative studies of rural settlements in other high-altitude and mountainous regions. The findings provide a quantitative basis for understanding the morphological diversity of Tibetan rural settlements and offer typology-based implications for rural planning, infrastructure allocation, and landscape conservation in environmentally sensitive plateau regions.

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