湖南沅水流域因多民族文化而绚丽神秘，因航运便利而市镇林立。流域内地理环境复杂，多民族文化交融，历史源远流长，是一个具有完整性、单元性、多样性的不可分割的类群文化体系。湖南沅水流域的少数民族历史城镇在这一独特文化体系下生成，其城镇形态不仅体现了对流域内自然、气候、地域等条件的适应，还反应了少数民族的城市营建技巧与住居智慧。本研究在"城镇化"建设背景下，首次以民族文化濒临消亡的少数民族城镇为研究对象，根据城镇形态属性划分形态单元，借助空间句法理论的方法，分解各单元的形态构成因子，通过量化参数与数据计算，建立典型历史城镇的整体形态模型，统计单元整体形态发生规律，从宏观与微观上层层深入探寻历史城镇空间形成与演变规律。同时从文化生态学角度，建立文化生态链谱系，简化复杂的多元民族文化，挖掘少数民族城镇住居文化，开拓了少数民族历史城镇研究的新视角，对民族地区的文化建设和现代小城镇建设提供有益借鉴。

Yuan River Basin is gorgeous and mysterious for its multiple ethnic culture,along with much cities and towns for the convenient shipping.It has complex geographical environments, multiple ethnic fusion, and long history. It is an inseparable group culture system possessing own integrity,independence and diversity.The historic town of Yuan River Basin gradually developed under unique national culture,the form of town not only shows the adaptation to nature, climate, regional conditions,but also reflects Minority building ability and living skills.Multiple ethnic town with dying culture is studied at the first time under Urbanization,Morphological unit is divided according town's morphology , the factor of Morphological constitute is disintegrate with the method of space syntax theory,The whole form model of typical historical town is built up by parameter quantization and date calculation , the occurrence regularity of the whole form model is summarized,historical spacial form and evolution regularity form macroscopic and microscopic view is gradually explored.At the same time,culture pedigree is purposed from view of cultural ecological,diversity and complexity of multiple ethnic culture is simplified,the living culture of multiple ethnic town is discovered.This research initiates a new view of Minority historic town ,and provides useful references for the construction of national area and modern town.