Research on the non-use value of rammed earth buildings in Shaxi Ancient Town based on CVM

¹ School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing, China
² School of Architecture, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

^* Corresponding author: 421936824@qq.com

Abstract

Architectural cultural heritage not only enriches the cultural landscape but also drives economic activity, although its value is often underestimated by the market. This article uses the rammed earth buildings of Shaxi Ancient Town as a case study, quantifying their non-use value through the contingent valuation method, and explores factors influencing public willingness to pay using correlation analysis and binary logistic regression models. The results show that respondents have a high support rate (72.9%) and willingness to pay (26.23 RMB per person) for the conservation and development of rammed earth buildings. The total non-use value reached approximately 29.79 million RMB, demonstrating the significant economic potential of these structures as architectural heritage. This provides critical insights for the conservation and development of rammed earth architecture in China and calls for enhanced recognition and protection efforts from all sectors of society.