Abstract:Starting from the characteristic cognition, through the perspective of the cultural landscape, and basing on the value assessment to carry out the study of the type of historical villages and towns is one of the important basic work to master the typical characteristics of the cultural landscape of historical villages and towns and to formulate scientific protection and development countermeasures. Establishing a value evaluation system of historic villages and towns with the help of analytic hierarchy process, and conducting a typed study using 324 historical villages and towns as samples in the Northwest. According to the evaluation results, it is divided into five types: geographical landscape characteristics, folk landscape characteristics, architectural landscape characteristics, pattern texture landscape characteristics, and historical cultural landscape characteristics, and then interpret its spatial distribution and landscape characteristics and put forward the corresponding protection and development proposal. On the basis of clarifying the typical characteristics and values of historical villages and towns, it provides the realistic basis for the protection and development of cultural landscapes in historical villages and towns, and provides reference for the planning and construction practice of historical villages and towns in other regions.