Decoding the Formation Mechanisms of Sustainable Industrial Heritage Corridors: The Institution–Network–Cluster Model from Jiangsu, China

The sustainable conservation of linear industrial heritage corridors remains challenged by a limited understanding of their formation mechanisms and driving forces. Addressing this gap, this study develops a transferable analytical framework to explain the spatio-temporal evolution of such systems. Using Jiangsu Province (China) as a case study and a dataset of 344 industrial heritage sites, we apply an integrated spatial-analytical approach to examine distribution patterns and underlying drivers. The results reveal an evolving dual-axis spatial structure shaped by transportation networks and regional development dynamics, with railway density emerging as a key influencing factor. Furthermore, the interaction of infrastructural, demographic, and institutional variables highlights a synergistic mechanism underpinning corridor formation. Building on these findings, the study proposes a “corridor-as-process” framework, conceptualizing industrial heritage corridors as dynamic socio-spatial products of long-term interactions between institutions, networks, and economic activities. This perspective advances beyond static, descriptive approaches by offering a process-oriented and explanatory understanding of heritage systems. This study contributes to sustainability by providing a spatially explicit basis for adaptive reuse, vulnerability assessment, and differentiated conservation strategies, supporting the integration of heritage preservation within broader regional sustainability transitions. The proposed framework offers a transferable methodological reference for analyzing industrial heritage corridors in comparable global contexts.