Cell-space model of Xi-di spatial evolution

Spatial evolution in ancient Chinese villages is always one of the most interesting research topics in the field of architectural design, urban planning and history of architecture. Xi-di village exemplifies traditional settlements in ancient China. For many years, numerous researchers have explored its built form, origin and evolution process from different perspectives. This paper attempts to position the spatial evolution process of this village in the context of complex system theory, which views the process of space self-organization as a form of disequilibrium and non-linear development process. Through analyzing the mechanism of village space changes, we develop the dynamic evolution modeling based on the theory of cellular automata. The purpose of the paper is to provide a new perspective for the conventional architectural research of space self-organization.