Development Potential Assessment of Cultural Heritage in the Yellow River Basin and Protection and Development Strategies: A Case Study of the Shaanxi Section

Cultural heritage in the Yellow River Basin, as the product of harmonious human-land co-existence, is an important component of both the linear natural ecological landscape and the historic corridor. Focusing on the linear historic space in the Shaanxi section of the Yellow River Basin, this study employs quantitative analysis methods to assess the development potential of cultural heritage resources in the river basin, based on surveys, identification, and selection of cultural heritage sites in this region. The assessment considers multiple dimensions, including resource endowment, spatial distribution, economic-industrial foundation, transportation accessibility, and ecological environment. On this basis, the paper proposes protection and development strategies for the basin’s cultural heritage from five perspectives: settlement heritage protection, spatial structure delineation, transportation and touring route planning, tourism system construction, and ecological protection and governance, in the hope of providing new insights for the high-quality development of the Yellow River National Cultural Park.