JAILCD2026-009: Adaptation of Thai Lue Vernacular Housing under Urbanization in Xishuangbanna

Abstract

Urban growth in Xishuangbanna since the early 2000s has rapidly replaced Thai Lue vernacular timber stilt houses with self-built, multi-storey reinforced-concrete (RC) dwellings, intensifying vertical stacking and spatial compression. This study investigates whether the internal spatial relations through which cultural norms are enacted remain legible in these reconfigured layouts, and how verticalization alters users’ ability to read the domestic system. Selected cases across a gradient of rural, township, and urban contexts were examined. By employing Space Syntax formulas—specifically by combining conventional topological measures with an intelligibility diagnostic—the research seeks to quantitatively interpret the spatial cultural characteristics embedded in these evolving domestic configurations. Results indicate a clear configurational shift under urban verticalization. Rural dwellings tend to present higher intelligibility, meaning locally connected spaces reliably signal global accessibility. In contrast, urban multi-storey cases increasingly concentrate Integration in vertical circulation cores. This produces a “core-dependent” movement logic where circulation infrastructure dominates configurational centrality, overshadowing living spaces. Despite this shift, ritual-oriented areas remain among the deeper, more segregated nodes across all contexts, suggesting that the hierarchical ordering of traditional belief persists through relational organization even as overall depth is compressed. Ultimately, the study offers a framework for future spatial design, suggesting that contemporary self-building should prioritize preserving the underlying spatial logic—specifically regarding ritual depth, social accessibility, and transitional boundaries—to ensure cultural continuity within verticalized forms.