Commercial highway landscape reclamation: A participatory approach

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The visual quality of the landscape is an important element in the quality of life. The views of the countryside, and the “fit” of man's developments to the natural environment, are the factors that determine the sense of place that a person experiences in their daily activities. This sense of place is very closely related to the perceived identity or image of the community in the minds of both residents and visitors. In tourist areas, this image may directly impact the local economy. In an image study of a major commercial highway landscape in the rural New York, U.S.A., vineyard region, a strategy was developed to maintain this sense of place using both design and management techniques. The objectives included: (1) providing a pleasant visual environment reflective of the region; (2) accommodating future development and traffic activities; (3) using cost-effective design and existing management methods. The primary issue dealt with in this study was that of coordinating multiple parties with varying objectives, incentives, resources and power, i.e. State, county and local governments and jurisdiction in the study area, along with many corporate and individual landowners. Participation of each was encouraged through multiple reviews, meetings and an open-house workshop. A visual simulation technique using color Xerox was tested to present the design concepts. The study resulted in a conceptual design for the study area, design guidelines for the landowners, preliminary zoning adjustments for local governments, and an implementation strategy for over-all coordination and realization of the design. Potential roles were outlined for each of the parties involved, and suggestions were made on involving more of the community.