Coupling–Coordination Patterns and Driving Mechanisms of Traditional Villages and Covered Bridge Heritage in Hunan Province, China

Traditional villages and covered bridge heritage are key components of rural cultural landscapes, yet their spatial relationship and driving mechanisms remain insufficiently quantified at the provincial scale. Taking Hunan Province, China as a case study, we integrated heritage inventories with multi-source socioeconomic and cultural indicators. Kernel density estimation and spatial autocorrelation were used to characterize clustering and spatial association. A coupling–coordination model quantified coupling intensity and coordination level, and GeoDetector identified dominant factors and their interactions. Results reveal significant association but prevalent spatial mismatch between the two heritage types, with a marked pattern of high coupling but low coordination and strong intra-provincial heterogeneity. Socioeconomic development, urbanization, rural revitalization, and cultural diversity are key drivers, and factor interactions generally explain the pattern better than single factors. These findings suggest that conservation and revitalization should be tailored to mismatch areas and coordinated with rural revitalization and cultural innovation initiatives to improve spatial coordination and support sustainable heritage-based development.