The impact of environmental perception of the world heritage site on public attitudes: a case study of the West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou

A study of the West Lake Cultural Landscape reveals that public perception of living spaces within heritage sites significantly influences attitudes toward tourism development and place attachment. Respondents rated their perception of living spaces (3.444) higher than production (3.419) or ecology spaces (3.330), with living space perception showing the strongest positive impact on attitudes. This finding suggests that optimizing living spaces can serve as a sustainable strategy to balance heritage protection, community development, and tourism needs. The research adopts a Production-Living-Ecology framework to analyze spatial perceptions, providing actionable insights for the preservation and management of World Heritage Sites.

Hu, L., Lin, A., Gao, Y., Miao, L., & Zhang, L. (2026). The impact of environmental perception of the world heritage site on public attitudes: a case study of the West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou. Frontiers in Psychology, 17. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1813956