Mapping historic garden continuity in Nanchang using deep mapping and historic land-use assessment

Abstract Historic gardens represent evolving cultural landscapes shaped by human–environment interactions. However, coherent methods for evaluating their spatial and temporal continuity remain limited. This study integrates the Historic Land-Use Assessment (HLA) framework with deep mapping to construct an indicator system for assessing garden heritage value. By combining qualitative interpretation with quantitative spatial modeling, and using Nanchang, China, as a case study, we combined historical documents, cartographic archives, and ArcGIS-based spatial analysis to reconstruct garden evolution and produce a spatio-temporal continuity map. The results show that changes in garden function strongly influence temporal depth, while natural substrates promote long-term preservation through ecological–cultural anchoring. Together, these factors reveal the mechanisms of landscape persistence and transformation across historical periods. These findings highlight the multi-period layering of cultural and ecological processes that define historic gardens. The study provides a replicable framework and practical guidance for the conservation and planning of landscape gardens.