Landscape Character Assessment Research Articles

Enhancing urban blue-green landscape quality assessment through hybrid genetic algorithm-back propagation (GA-BP) neural network approach: a case study in Fucheng, China

This study employs an artificial neural network optimization algorithm, enhanced with a Genetic Algorithm-Back Propagation (GA-BP) network, to assess the service quality of urban water bodies and green spaces, aiming to promote healthy urban environments. From an initial set of 95 variables, 29 key variables were selected, including 17 input variables, such as water and green space area, population size, and urbanization rate, six hidden layer neurons, such as patch number, patch density, and average patch size, and one output variable for the comprehensive value of blue-green landscape quality. The results indicate that the GA-BP network achieves an average relative error of 0.94772%, which is superior to the 1.5988% of the traditional BP network. Moreover, it boasts a prediction accuracy of 90% for the comprehensive value of landscape quality from 2015 to 2022, significantly outperforming the BP network’s approximate 70% accuracy. This method enhances the accuracy of landscape quality assessment but also aids in identifying crucial factors influencing quality. It provides scientific and objective guidance for future urban landscape structure and layout, contributing to high-quality urban development and the creation of exemplary living areas.

Identifying Rural Landscape Heritage Character Types and Areas: A Case Study of the Li River Basin in Guilin, China

Rural landscape heritage faces issues of landscape character homogenization and unclear protection boundaries. We propose combining landscape character assessment (LCA) methods to identify the characteristics and areas of heritage, aiming to preserve the diversity and integrity of the landscape. This paper focuses on the Li River Basin as the study area, presenting a method for identifying characteristics and areas of rural landscape heritage. It is divided into four steps: selection and spatial scope identification of rural landscape heritage, identification of natural character areas, identification of cultural character areas, and identification and analysis of character areas of rural landscape heritage. Firstly, cultural relic units, traditional villages, and intangible cultural heritage as sources of rural landscape heritage were selected by utilizing the Minimum Cumulative Resistance model (MCR) to calculate the spatial scope of rural landscape heritage. Secondly, clustering and automatic partition methods were employed to classify the Li River Basin into four types of natural character areas. Thirdly, cultural core areas and buffer areas were determined based on the heritage source hierarchy and cultural features. Fourthly, by overlaying heritage spatial ranges, natural character areas, and cultural character areas, 2 levels of heritage areas, 7 types of heritage cultural areas, and 43 heritage character units were obtained. This method not only provides a comprehensive framework for the identification of characteristics and areas for rural landscape heritage but also enhances the integrity of data selection in landscape character assessment methods at the cultural level.

Integrating Landscape Character Assessment with Community Values in a Scenic Evaluation Methodology for Regional Landscape Planning

The Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) method from the UK has proven effective in identifying landscape values and characteristics through a comprehensive mapping process. However, it is predominantly expert-led and lacks an evaluation of scenery, hindering the inclusion of the broader community’s preferences and visual attachment to their landscape. In Australia, the application of the Scenic Amenity Methodology (SAM) using Geographical Information System (GIS) mapping has engaged communities but has often overlooked the importance of landscape character. To overcome these limitations, this study presents an innovative scenic assessment methodology, referred to as modified Scenic Amenity Methodology (modified SAM). The methodology establishes landscape character types (LCTs) to map scenic preference ratings derived from community photo surveys. Simultaneously, it incorporates the visual exposure of the landscape from publicly accessible viewpoints, modelled using a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The combination of scenic preferences and visual exposure enables mapping of the scenic amenity values held by the community. This methodology was first trialled in Bundaberg, then Cairns, the Whitsunday Islands, and, most recently, Toowoomba in Queensland, Australia. This paper presents the results of the Toowoomba study and reports on the challenges and limitations of informing landscape character type (LCT) values through a public photo survey, developing a scenic preference map from ratings of photos across a region, a map of the visual exposure of landscape elements from key public viewing locations, and, ultimately, a map of scenic amenity values across the Toowoomba Region. It indicates that integrating previous LCA approaches with public participation through community preferences is indeed feasible for regional landscape planning.

Characterizing Mountain Landscape Complexity: Comparison of Landscape Character Assessment in the National Parks of the United Kingdom

Characterizing Mountain Landscape Complexity: Comparison of Landscape Character Assessment in the National Parks of the United Kingdom

Analysis of Landscape Character Assessment and Cultural Ecosystem Services Evaluation Frameworks for Peri-Urban Landscape Planning: A Case Study of Harku Municipality, Estonia

This study combined landscape character assessment (LCA) and cultural ecosystem services (CES) frameworks to evaluate human well-being in the peri-urban area of Harku Municipality, Estonia. Using geospatial data combined with expert opinions, the study investigated the interplay between landscape character types and environmental/contact types through the LCA method. In total, 21 distinct landscape types comprising 47 separate areas were identified, with CES values determined for each. Restorative, social, and cognitive values were associated with each landscape character type. The findings demonstrated the higher restorative potential of blue and green elements (water bodies, forests) with low settlement density and minimal agriculture. High-density settlements with good road access demonstrated significant social values, while mixed forests and wetlands tended to be associated with higher cognitive values. Coastal zones with semi-dense settlements and mixed forests earned favourable ratings, whereas industrial/agricultural landscapes were rated lowest for all values. These findings offer valuable insights into the complex dynamics of urban–rural interactions, resilience, and the impact of urbanisation on CES. They may inform future landscape management strategies, urban planning decisions, and policy considerations. Additionally, this study highlights the need for further research to explore the long-term trends and potential changes in CES in evolving peri-urban environments.

Landscape characterization using GIS-Based Landscape Character Assessment in Hulu Langat district, Malaysia

Landscape characterization using GIS-Based Landscape Character Assessment in Hulu Langat district, Malaysia

Assessment of visual landscape quality of urban green spaces using image-based metrics derived from perceived sensory dimensions

Urban green spaces (UGS) have been extensively studied for their psychological benefits to people. However, accurately assessing the quality of UGS, which is closely linked to human perception, remains challenging due to the complexity of this attribute. To address this gap, this study proposed a novel approach that uses comprehensive image-based metrics to evaluate multiple aspects of visual landscape quality (VLQ). These metrics were developed based on a theoretical framework of perceived sensory dimensions (PSD). We presented the meanings and calculation methods of metrics based on panoramic images. Additionally, we conducted an online survey to demonstrate the significant correlation between these metrics and the subjective perception of PSD. This study also proposed a new spatial mapping method to represent VLQ using these metrics, illustrated through a case study of the Singapore Botanic Gardens (SBG). We used analysis of variance to compare the distinctions between metrics naturalness, wildness, and GVI by selecting a few green spaces within the SBG. The approaches provide an innovative way to evaluate UGS visual quality using photographic imagery data, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the visual quality assessment of UGS.

Quantitative Landscape Analysis Using Earth-Observation Data: An Example from Chania, Crete, Greece

Pursuing sustainability in a challenging world and under the influence of numerous natural and anthropogenic drivers of change presents one of the major global concerns. The transition towards a more sustainable development requires a harmonious balance between human well-being and environmental management. The concept of landscape is at the core of such a process. Hence, evaluating the different aspects of the landscape and their components is crucial for policy making, planning and management. In fact, landscape quality assessment has become a special focus of interest, especially with the directives of the European Landscape Convention. This research work aims to analyze the rural landscape of the Chania prefecture, West Crete, Greece, taking into account its multifold dimensions. The analysis was carried out using a series of quantitative spatial indicators. Consecutively, structural (mean patch area, contagion index, edge density and percentage of landscape occupied by a class of the highest share), ecological (density of ecological barriers, Modified Shannon diversity index), visual (share of positive land-cover forms, share of negative land-cover forms, form and color disharmony index, shape disharmony index) and cultural indices (historical monuments index) were estimated and analyzed in a GIS environment. The overall methodology incorporated different land-use/land-cover data (multitemporal Corine data and land use derived from the classification of Earth-observation (EO) data). The historical and current analysis of the landscape within Chania revealed quite high structural and visual values. The ecological dimension is rather stable, with a potential decrease by the year 2045. Additionally, the structural dimension seemed to be sensitive to the spatial resolution of the data source. The spatial extent, at which the landscape is evaluated, seemed to impact the landscape’s ecological, visual and cultural values.

Sustainable Tourism Planning on Landscape Scale: Case Study from Slovakia (Central Europe)

Abstract The European cultural landscape and its traditional values represent a significant condition for recreation and tourism. However, we are aware of the negative consequences of human activity in the past years in rural areas and pay more attention to protecting these values. Modern rural recreation and tourism must be built on scientific background. That is why the presented contribution brings an innovative integrated approach to sustainable rural recreation and tourism model by applying landscape ecological planning methodology with a combination of ecological stability and landscape character assessment. It deals with the qualitative evaluation of the landscape potential of the foothill village of Podkonice in Slovakia and the possibilities of its use in sustainable rural tourism. Determining the potential in confrontation with different forms of tourism activities can help achieve a sustainable tourism concept. The main result of the presented research is the final optimal selection of activities and use of the landscape with regard to the development of tourism. Such a proposal can be used in spatial planning and strategic decision-making processes not only in the study area, but it can be applied in the European context.

Two-Scaled Identification of Landscape Character Types and Areas: A Case Study of the Yunnan–Vietnam Railway (Yunnan Section), China

In recent decades, the role of heritage railways has gradually shifted from transportation, economy, and trade to tourism, culture, and ecology. The heritage railway landscape is experiencing multiple changes along with a value ambiguity problem. There is a need to comprehensively recognize this landscape in order to promote the transformations and monitor the changes. Inspired by Landscape Character Assessment (LCA), this paper adopts a two-scaled identification framework of landscape character types and areas of the Yunnan–Vietnam Railway (Yunnan section) by integrating holistic and parametric methods. At the regional scale, the landscape character was divided by five natural variables: landform, vegetation, hydrology, soil, and geology. At the corridor scale, the landscape character was classified by five natural and cultural variables: altitude, slope, aspect, land use, and heritage density. At these two scales, k-prototype cluster analysis and multiresolution segmentation (MRS) tool were used to identify landscape character types and areas. The results showed that there were 11 different landscape character types and 80 landscape character areas at the regional scale, and 12 different landscape character types and 58 landscape character areas at the corridor scale. Furthermore, the composition, area, and distribution of these landscape character types and areas were described. The results of this study can form a database for planning, management, and evaluation of the railway.

Visual Landscape Quality Assessment: The Example of Iskenderun-Arsuz Coastline

Araştırma Hatay’ın İskenderun, Arsuz ve Belen ilçelerini kapsayan ve İskenderun-Arsuz sahil bandı olarak adlandırılan bölgede yürütülmüştür. Çalışmanın ana amacı bölgenin doğal ve kültürel peyzaj alanlarını görsel peyzaj kalitesi (GPK) yönünden değerlendirmektir. Ayrıca çalışma kapsamında seçilen alanların GPK değeri ile rekreasyonel etkinlikler için tercih edilmeleri arasındaki ilişki incelenmiştir. Bölgedeki farklı özelliklere sahip peyzaj alanlarının görsel peyzaj kalitesinin nasıl algılandığını ve rekreasyonel tercihler üzerindeki etkilerini ortaya koymak üzere 75 kişi ile anket çalışması yürütülmüştür. Bu amaçla, farklı peyzaj karakterine sahip alanları temsil eden 30 adet fotoğraf kullanılmıştır. Katılımcıların peyzaj alanlarını beğeni düzeyleri, beğenilerini etkileyen GPK ölçütleriyle ilişkisi ve rekreasyonel etkinlikler için tercih edilmesinde görsel kalite ölçütlerinin etkisi istatistiksel olarak ortaya konmuştur. Spearman korelasyon testi ile ilişki ve anlam analizleri yapılmış, peyzaj alanlarının beğenilmesinde en önemli ilk üç ölçütün manzara güzelliği (0,730), rekreasyonel değer taşıma (0,607) ile doğallık (0,590) olduğu tespit edilmiştir.

Viewshed Analysis-Based Method Integrated to Landscape Character Assessment: Application to Landscape Sustainability of Greenhouses Systems

The visual impact of crop shelters in the rural landscape is of paramount importance for the sustainability of landscape planning. It is of utmost importance to protect a beautiful landscape characterized by archaeological sites and natural ecosystems but it is also fundamental to preserve a key economy based on agriculture. To preserve the landscape there is the need to understand its landscape units and to assess the feasibility of the application of landscape character assessment (LCA) at a local scale and adaptation to higher scales in the land-use planning process. In this study, a methodology based on viewshed analysis was integrated into LCA in order to define landscape character areas and types. An application of the method was done on greenhouse systems. Landscape evaluation was carried out by using both ECOVAST guidelines for landscape identification and indicators, which were defined and computed in order to describe the visual impact of greenhouses. The method was applied to a study area located in South Italy, in the Province of Ragusa, in the eastern part of Sicily, where the greenhouse system highly characterizes agricultural activities and made it possible to define landscape guidelines. Finally, a visibility map was drawn up to highlight the areas subject to the greatest visibility. In addition to objectifying the visual impact of greenhouses, the research verified that the proposed LCA-based methodology combined with viewshed analysis can be feasible for supporting the analysis phases of landscape and urban planning under the new territorial governance laws issued for the Region of Sicily in recent years. These analyses were useful to provide information that objectively takes into account the importance of the visual component in the context of landscape planning. Due to the limited surface of the sample area considered in this study, this research work should be considered a pilot or preliminary study. The extension of this methodology to the adjacent municipalities could represent the practical application performed by local authorities to define common regulations suitable to preserve landscape components.

The Method of Soundscape Naturalness Curves in the Evaluation of Mountain Trails of Diversified Anthropopressure—Case Study of Korona Beskidów Polskich

Sound in the landscape is an element of the multisensory experience of the environment. In areas that are naturally valuable and additionally used for tourism, the quality of this element is much more important than in urban areas. The aim of the study was to assess the soundscape diversity of mountain trails included in the Crown of the Polish Beskids (Korona Beskidów Polskich). Two methods were used in the study: The first was sound intensity measurement using a sonometer, which provided information on the physical aspect of the landscape. The second method involved recording all sounds divided into two basic categories: anthropogenic and natural. These results made it possible to propose a new method for assessing the naturalness of the soundscape by plotting naturalness curves. In contrast to frequently used survey-based methods, in this method we minimise subjectivity, which is mainly due to the different perceptions of sounds by the assessors. Given how many psychophysical aspects can affect the reception and perception of sounds, the method of naturalness curves allows for a universal assessment of landscape quality. On all the mountain trails surveyed, the average sound intensity values exceeded 40 dB, which the authors considered to be borderline for areas of natural value and recreational use. In the study area, the influence of anthropopression on soundscape formation was found to be diverse and dependent on many factors. However, there was no clear evidence that tourism was the main negative influence. The plotted naturalness curves showed a large variation between trails, but not all trails showed a correlation between this parameter and the number of tourists on the trail.

Evaluation of The Visual Landscape Quality of Parks: The Case of Serik/Antalya

The visual perception of landscapes is expressed as seeing the qualities of the landscape. This level of perception varies depending on the socio-cultural and economic structure of the people and the environment in which they live. The fact that the environment in which people live has a variable visual structure also constantly affects their landscape perception. Parks are one of the important urban landscape areas in cities. The existing structure of the parks located in the urban landscape areas affects the visual perception value of these areas on the users. The aim of the research is to evaluate the visual landscape quality value of the parks in the city of Serik in the direction of user opinions. In this context, the photographs of the selected parks within the boundaries of the research area were taken from certain points. The questionnaire form prepared with these photographs was applied to the park users on a voluntary basis. The data obtained from the questionnaire forms were digitized and analyzed. Within the scope of the analysis, the data belonging to the socio-demographic structure of the participants and the answers they gave to the propositions about the parks were determined by descriptive analysis (frequencies and descriptives). Whether there was a statistically significant difference between the sociodemographic structure of the participants and their answers to the propositions was analyzed with parametric tests (independent sample t-test and one-way analysis of variance). At the same time, the relationship between the visual landscape quality assessment criteria of the parks was examined by Pearson Correlation Analysis. The results of the analysis show that the features of the parks due to their planning, design and maintenance affect the visual landscape quality values. In this direction, suggestions have been developed to increase the visual landscape quality value of the parks.

Peri-urban agrifood systems and a landscape project in the southern Mediterranean. The case of the urban agglomeration of Sousse (Tunisia)

Peri-urban agrifood systems are often subject to urban pressure and other territorial factors, which justifies a detailed study and analysis from multiple points of view. The main objective of this work is to analyze the periurban agri-food systems of the urban agglomeration of Sousse (Tunisia), one of the most important in the country, from a landscape perspective. This work adds to the literature on policies and strategies for the planning and development of Tunisian cities, which are currently facing several environmental and social challenges, of which climate change, food security and sustainable development are the most important. This research focuses, as mentioned above, on the case of the urban agglomeration of Sousse (Tunisia), where the concurrence of different factors (political, environmental, economic, etc.), together with clearly deficient regulations and uncontrolled urban development, is threatening the survival of a traditional, largely family-based agricultural model, based on a mixed or polyculture production system, with olive groves predominating. The latter is vital to ensure the economic maintenance of many families and to actively contribute to food security, with the consequent production of varied, fresh, and quality food. In this sense, we present a specific method that, based on the integrative and strategic significance of landscapes, and on the Landscape Character Assessment methodology, employs the so-called “landscape project” as a tool to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of peri-urban agriculture and to prevent the loss of a landscape heritage that has always been considered crucial for the identity of the local population. The document highlights the importance of the concept of green infrastructure, which, when properly integrated into land-use planning instruments, can contribute to enhancing local and sustainable agri-food systems. It also points out the need to promote Agricultural Parks, a protected status already recognized in Spain and other countries, as instruments for management, promotion, and development, and puts forward some specific proposals for the enhancement and activation of peri-urban agricultural landscapes in the Sousse conurbation. In relation to this last aspect, it insists on the need to modify the current forms of governance, which would require greater leadership and involvement of the main actors in peri-urban agriculture.

Correlating fluency theory-based visual aesthetic liking of landscape with landscape types and features

ABSTRACT People inherently assess landscapes by creating spontaneous aesthetic liking judgments based on the surrounding stimuli. To understand these judgements objectively, use may be made of the fluency theory of aesthetic pleasure (the psychological processes through which people experience beauty). This study aims to predict people’s visual aesthetic preferences based on fluency theory and to correlate these preferences with landscape types and features. An ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model was developed to predict visual aesthetic liking, using image statistics as explanatory variables. We determined types of landscape using Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) and applied viewshed analyses distinguishing between near, medium, and far zones. We identified landscape features by content analysis making use of machine learning-based image recognition supplied by Google Cloud Vision API. The results show that vegetation and geological forms were the most significant features for people’s visual aesthetic liking, followed by waterscapes and built structures/human settlements. The viewshed analyses indicated that ‘medium-altitude, low-gradient artificial areas’ were visible in photographs with high aesthetic visual liking in all zones (i.e., at all distances). When the photographs showing this type of landscape are examined, the artificial areas in the photographs turn out to consist mostly of historical buildings or remains. This finding suggests that historical sites are not just important for their cultural value, but for their visual aesthetic value as well.

Window Expeditions: A playful approach to crowdsourcing natural language descriptions of everyday lived landscapes

Measuring what citizens perceive and value about landscapes is important for landscape monitoring. Capturing temporal, spatial and cultural variation requires collection of data at scale. One potential proxy data source are textual descriptions of landscapes written by volunteers. We implemented a gamified application and crowdsourced a multilingual corpus of in-situ descriptions of everyday lived landscapes. Our implementation focused on the aesthetics of exploration, expression and fellowship in the mechanics, dynamics, aesthetics (MDA) framework. We collected 503 natural language landscape descriptions from 384 participants in English (69.7%), German (25.1%) and French (5.3%) and most contributions were made in urban areas (54.7%). The most frequent noun lemma in English was “tree” and in German “Fenster” (window). By comparing our English collection to corpora of everyday English and landscape descriptions, we identified frequent lemmas such as “tree”, “window”, “light”, “street”, “garden” and “sky” which occurred significantly more than expected. These terms hint as to important components of the everyday landscapes of our users. We suggest a number of ways in which our corpus could be used in ongoing research on landscapes, complementing existing PPGIS approaches, providing data for domain specific lexicons for landscape analysis and as an input to landscape character assessment.

An approach to urban landscape character assessment: Linking urban big data and machine learning

Diverse urban landscape is an important cultural driving force for urban sustainable development. Although characterizing landscape to protect landscape diversity is widely used in regional landscape and preservation practices, it is difficult to apply to urban landscape character assessment, which needs fine-scale data support, explicit study units, and effective clustering models. Therefore, this study uses urban big geospatial data and machine learning technology to establish a technical system for character assessment of urban landscape applicable to the block scale and complete the landscape assessment of urban areas of Beijing and Shanghai, China. A total of 64 landscape character types were identified in Beijing, and 61 in Shanghai. We find that (1) urban landscape characters are different with the ring road as the boundary, but each zone presents a combination of different proportions of landscape characters. (2) Beijing's city wall demolition policy is affected by historical protection policy. Landscape differentiation on both sides of the Huangpu River in Shanghai has yet to be realized. This study extends the theory of LCA and realizes the research exploration of urban built environment. It can also be used to guide urban zoning control, evaluate planning policy, and provide assistance in practice for sustainable urban development and management.

Visual evaluations of wind turbines: Judgments of scenic beauty or of moral desirability?

To achieve a transition to renewable energy, large numbers of wind turbines have been built in Germany and in many other countries. Numerous surveys have been conducted to ascertain the subjectively perceived visual impact of wind turbines on the aesthetic quality of landscapes and the underlying factors of this impact. However, the extent to which moral judgments about wind turbines influence their aesthetic evaluation has until now never been studied. To address this issue, we investigated the influence of implicit moral associations and judgments of different large-scale mast-like structures—namely wind turbines, incinerator plant chimneys and high-frequency communication towers—on statements about the impact of these structures on the visual quality of landscapes. We found that mast-like structures which barely differ in visual terms are nevertheless judged to impair the visual quality of landscapes to very different degrees. These correlations held true for both supporters and opponents of wind energy. Furthermore, we looked for correlations between the evaluation of wind turbines and general attitudes towards them, and ascertained that supporters of wind energy tended to rate landscapes with wind turbines substantially higher than non-supporters. A possible explanation for this is the structures’ significantly different moral associations. Our findings support the hypothesis that statements about the visual impact of mast-like structures in landscapes are strongly influenced by (implicit) moral judgments on these structures that are driven by their moral associations. Thus, to a considerable extent, such statements reflect not judgments on scenic beauty but moral judgments. These findings have substantial implications not only for the assessment of the impact of wind turbines on the landscapes’ scenic qualities but for the interpretation of visual landscape quality assessments in general. We propose a methodological approach to overcome these problems.

Identifying Terrestrial Landscape Character Types in China

Landscape character assessment (LCA) is a widely used tool that integrates natural, cultural, and perceptual attributes to identify and portray landscape. In this study, we used the LCA method to identify the landscape characteristics of China at the national scale. Furthermore, we applied cultural and landscape structural factors along with spatial transmission to improve the identification system. First, we incorporated all the parameters in the assessment. We selected 15 landscape character factors from four factor types including nature, culture, spatial geographic co-ordinates, and landscape structure. These parameters were analysed using multilevel overlay and spatial connection tools in ArcGis 10.2, which resulted in 2307 landscape description units (LDUs). Second, the spatial structure properties of the LDUs were determined using a semivariogram and the moving window method in ArcGis 10.2 and Fragstats 4.2 software, respectively. Third, for visualisation, we applied the principal component analysis (PCA) using the SPSS software and elbow and k-means clustering methods using MATLAB to determine 110 landscape character types (LCTs) of China’s entire terrestrial landscape. Finally, we determined 1483 landscape character areas through semiautomatic segmentation and manual visual correction using eCognition. Based on the unique characteristics of the entire terrestrial landscape of China, a set of ideas and methods for the overall identification of LCTs was proposed. Our findings can be used to optimise territorial spatial planning and landscape protection and management, and promote multiscale land-use studies in China.