From “Data Silos” to “Collaborative Symbiosis”: How Digital Technologies Empower Rural Built Environment and Landscapes to Bridge Socio-Ecological Divides: Based on a Comparative Study of the Yuanyang Hani Terraces and Yu Village in Anji
Summary. Digital technologies can bridge rural social-ecological divides by integrating fragmented data and restructuring community engagement. A study of two Chinese villages—Yu Village and Hani Terraces—shows that digital platforms drive different empowerment pathways depending on local context. Yu Village achieved 85% participation and 25% tourism revenue growth through mobile governance apps, while Hani Terraces used cooperative-mediated engagement to reach elderly farmers and increased agricultural value by 12%. Digital tools function as catalysts for context-specific rural governance and sustainable revitalization.
Cite this article
Zhang, W., & Zhao, Y.. (2026). From “Data Silos” to “Collaborative Symbiosis”: How Digital Technologies Empower Rural Built Environment and Landscapes to Bridge Socio-Ecological Divides: Based on a Comparative Study of the Yuanyang Hani Terraces and Yu Village in Anji. Buildings. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16020296
Zhang, Weiping, and Yian Zhao. “From “Data Silos” to “Collaborative Symbiosis”: How Digital Technologies Empower Rural Built Environment and Landscapes to Bridge Socio-Ecological Divides: Based on a Comparative Study of the Yuanyang Hani Terraces and Yu Village in Anji.” Buildings, 2026. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16020296.
Zhang, Weiping, and Yian Zhao. 2026. “From “Data Silos” to “Collaborative Symbiosis”: How Digital Technologies Empower Rural Built Environment and Landscapes to Bridge Socio-Ecological Divides: Based on a Comparative Study of the Yuanyang Hani Terraces and Yu Village in Anji.” Buildings. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16020296.
@article{zhang-2026-data-silos-collaborative-symbiosis-how,
title = {From “Data Silos” to “Collaborative Symbiosis”: How Digital Technologies Empower Rural Built Environment and Landscapes to Bridge Socio-Ecological Divides: Based on a Comparative Study of the Yuanyang Hani Terraces and Yu Village in Anji},
author = {Weiping Zhang and Yian Zhao},
journal = {Buildings},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.3390/buildings16020296},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16020296}
}
TY - JOUR TI - From “Data Silos” to “Collaborative Symbiosis”: How Digital Technologies Empower Rural Built Environment and Landscapes to Bridge Socio-Ecological Divides: Based on a Comparative Study of the Yuanyang Hani Terraces and Yu Village in Anji AU - Weiping Zhang AU - Yian Zhao JO - Buildings PY - 2026 DO - 10.3390/buildings16020296 UR - https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16020296 ER -
Details
- DOI
- 10.3390/buildings16020296
- Countries
- China
- Regions
- Asia
- Categories
- broadband-and-digital, rural-data-and-definitions, regional-innovation-systems
- Added
- 2026-04-28