Abstract
This chapter discusses different approaches to studying the visual quality of landscapes, followed by an overview of theories explaining landscape preferences as either innate or learnt. Lothian proposed a distinction between the objectivist approach on the one hand, in which visual quality is viewed as inherent to the landscape and the subjectivist approach on the other hand, in which visual quality is considered a construct of the observer. Evolutionary theories explain landscape preferences as a result of human evolution, with landscape preferences of today being innate reflections of landscape qualities enhancing survival in early humans. The scenic beauty estimation (SBE) method is a psychophysical method developed by the US Forestry Department. The SBE method estimates scenic beauty judgements for various natural scenes. The VisuLands framework presents a comprehensive approach to describing visual landscapes and assessing visual effects of landscape change using data sources such as photographs, land cover data, aerial photographs, and field observations.
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