Developing an Evaluation Framework for Rural Architectural Heritage Based on AHP: A Case Study of Buyeo, Korea

Rural architectural heritage sites in Korea, including rice mills, breweries, and granaries, face an increasing risk of neglect, damage, and demolition. Because most of these structures lack recognition in formal heritage designation systems, their conservation and management are challenging. This study proposes a comprehensive evaluation framework for rural architectural heritage. Based on a literature review and expert consultations, we derived 18 evaluation indicators grouped into six value criteria: historical, architectural/artistic, social/cultural, landscape, economic, and utilitarian values. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed to determine the relative importance and priority of these indicators. The results indicate that historical value had the highest weight among the six criteria, followed by architectural/artistic and social/cultural values. Among the 18 indicators, “representativeness of the period” ranked highest, followed by “rarity,” “historicity,” and "architectural excellence." However, the indicators associated with economic and utilitarian values received relatively low weights. The framework validated by applying it to 17 rural heritage sites in Buyeo County, a representative rural region in Korea. This study presents a systematic and value-based evaluation framework that reflects the regional and industrial characteristics of rural architectural heritage and provides theoretical and practical implications for its conservation and adaptive reuse.