Research on the Dominance Mechanism and Activation Strategy of Core Public Spaces in Traditional Settlements: A Case Study of Ancestral Temple Spaces in Songgai Ancient Town, Chongqing

Abstract

In the spatial structure of traditional settlements, core public spaces often play a key and dominant role. This paper takes the temple spaces of Songgai Ancient Town in Chongqing as the research object, introduces the figure-ground relationship theory from Gestalt psychology, and constructs a 'Temple (Figure) - Settlement Environment (Ground)' analytical framework. It systematically explores the dominant mechanism of temple space over settlement order and its activation paths under contemporary crises, aiming to provide theoretical support and practical reference for the protection and renewal of similar traditional settlements. The results show that: Temple space forms a hierarchical dominance mechanism at the macro, meso, and micro levels, establishing its core position through strategic site selection to lay the foundation for the landscape pattern, differentiating forms to shape street textures, and modeling residential shapes with a paradigmatic language; The temple spaces in Songgai Ancient Town face systemic crises, showing a chain of problems including public function closure and 'death', spatial texture 'interruption' due to the disappearance of physical carriers, and coexisting safety hazards and social hollowing; Based on figure-ground relationship theory, an overall activation strategy is proposed. By differentially activating the 'figure' elements of temples, repairing and patching the 'ground' environment of settlements, and reconstructing deep cultural dialogues between figure and ground, the organic connection between the two can be reshaped, promoting the holistic revival of the settlement.