How does the representation rate of features in a landscape affect visual preferences? A case study from a post-mining landscape

Abstract

Previous studies of visual preferences for landscapes have been dominated by papers monitoring the presence of individual landscape features or their physical attributes. The objective of our study has been to evaluate how the representation rate of these features affects visual preferences for a landscape. We have studied a post-mining landscape that provides component physical features of a diverse and contrasting character. On the basis of an analysis of surface images, in combination with a questionnaire survey, our study has determined that the representation rate of most evaluated features affects the aesthetic value of the entire landscape scene. It has been established that certain groups of features in a post-mining landscape evoke various preferential tendencies among the public. The aesthetic value of a landscape decreased with increasing representation of surface quarries and urban structures, while increased representation of water and of rural structures resulted in an increasing aesthetic value. Woody vegetation and arable land were most preferred when they were represented non-dominantly, while mining infrastructure features were evaluated most negatively when they were non-dominant features of the landscape. Our findings thus point to the importance of the representation rate of features in the landscape as one of the key factors influencing the visual perception of the entire landscape scene.