Unique traditional villages on the Loess Plateau of China: historic evolution and challenges to sustainable development of silo-caves

Abstract Silo-cave is a unique human habitation form on the Loess Plateau in northern China, which consists of an excavated 6–7 m deep pit as courtyard and cave dwellings surrounding four walls. This architecture has had history more than 7000 years, yet such “living fossils for dwellings” are now facing great crises challenges during rapid social economic development. In this paper, remote sensing GIS techniques used to comprehensively systematically investigate spatial distributions morphological characteristics silo-caves at both macro micro scales. The research shows that silo-cave villages mainly distributed economically underdeveloped areas, West Henan (Yuxi), South Shanxi (Jinnan), Central Shaanxi (Guanzhong), East Gansu (Longdong). evolution patterns typical identified, including: (1) retaining periphery rebuilding inner parts villages, (2) expanding (3) villages. These demonstrated be influenced by many factors, including landforms, traffic conditions, development, population growth, administrative division adjustment. Sustainable development these traditional relies policy planning, people’s awareness cultural heritage protection, culture inheritance, industrial transformation, public services.