Vernacular or modern: Transitional preferences of residents living in varied stages of urbanisation regarding rural landscape features

After the implementation of rural revitalisation, China's rural landscape is experiencing drastic reconstruction together with a prominent debating concerning whether it should retain vernacular or become modern. However, there is little research about residents' landscape preferences regarding vernacular and modern. To fill this gap, this study investigated rural landscape preferences of resident groups in Chongqing City. Urban, town and rural residents were purposely selected and compared as they represent resident groups with varying levels of connection to rural landscapes during urbanisation. Three hundred and eighty-four residents were investigated through field surveys. The results demonstrate that rural residents do not like vernacular landscapes, because the average cognitive salience index of vernacular landscapes is 0.08 lower than that of modern landscape. Correspondence analysis reveals that there are mismatches between residents at all stages of landscape urbanisation and their living environments. A circular pattern emerges: urban residents prefer vernacular landscapes, town residents prefer modern landscapes, and rural residents prefer transitional landscapes. Combining word frequency analysis, two-step clustering and Kruskal–Wallis test, we found that connections with more urbanised areas of rural residents changed their preferences. Rural resident category 1 prefers landscapes with significantly higher vernacularisation (average score 49.39) as compared to category 3 (average score 33.61) with many contacts with the outside. The key factor driving the diversified preferences between the groups is the desire for a better living environment based on what residents perceived lacking in their current living environments. This study therefore demonstrates a theoretical transitional process for rural landscape preferences during urbanisation. Our results provide practical/policy implications for China's rural revitalisation processes and for similar processes in rural areas of other developing countries with diversified desire of varied social groups. • Modern landscapes in rural areas are more preferred than vernacular ones. • The preference of rural, town and urban residents for rural landscapes shows a transitional relationship. • Envisioned better lives intervene people's preferences for rural landscapes. • The transitivity of towns is important for understanding residents' rural landscape preferences in China.