Landscape Planning Tools Research Articles

Regional forest green infrastructure planning and collaborative governance: A case study from southern Sweden

Green Infrastructure (GI) is a strategically planned network delivering and enhancing diverse ecosystem services whilst preventing further biodiversity loss. Although not mandatory for EU members to implement GI, it is increasingly advocated as a tool for landscape planning. In 2016, the Swedish Government mandated the County Administrative Boards (CABs) to design regional GI plans using a collaborative process. This study explored the GI collaborative process in the region of Scania in southern Sweden, focusing on forest as an important component of Swedish landscapes. We interviewed 14 different stakeholders who participated in the process, and analysed the preconditions, inner workings and outcomes of collaborative GI planning. Despite remarkably different expectations, the perceived outcomes were consistent. Most stakeholders perceived the process as mainly informational rather than deliberative and, in general, use of the GI plan was limited. Despite successful finalisation of the plan, collaboration as a long-term process has not been achieved, which may limit the realisation of activities that foster GI. Scania’s GI planning illustrates the defects of top-down approaches with insufficient resources, failing to address the stakeholders’ trust and positioning. A lack of inclusivity and deliberation undermine the legitimacy of collaborative processes, discrediting the very concept of GI in Sweden. Our analysis indicates that a genuine collaborative process and a long-term commitment to implementing GI is unachievable without sustained and substantial governmental funding, capacity development at the lead agency, thorough consideration of prehistory, and targeted measures to increase trust among stakeholders.

A Study on the Advancement of Spatial Maps and the Improvement of the Legal System as a Key Tool for Sustainable National Landscape Planning: Case Study of South Korea

For sustainable, national landscape-planning, this study focused on land cover changes, landscape analysis methods from various perspectives on the landscape, legal system analysis related to landscape planning, and analysis of a basic spatial map for landscape planning. First of all, in Korea the focus is on the aesthetic aspect of the landscape, while foreign countries look at the landscape from multiple perspectives and tried to solve the problem of landscape damage on this basis. Next, looking at the changes in land cover, it was found that the urbanized area increased significantly, but the area of agricultural land and wetlands decreased significantly due to development plans. In addition, looking at the contents of the landscape plan in terms of the legal system, the legal system of the Republic of Korea included a multifunctional aspect of the landscape, but the contents were only at the level of policy suggestions. Finally, through a review of a basic spatial map for landscape planning, it was found that among various basic spatial maps, the biotope map is highly likely to be used when establishing national landscape plans. The results of this study are meaningful in that they have not only established the concept of landscape in terms of multifunctionality but also established improvement measures in terms of legal and institutional aspects and the basic spatial map.

Evaluating the riparian forest quality index (QBR) in the Luchena River by integrating remote sensing, machine learning and GIS techniques

The Water Framework Directive (WFD 2000/60/EU) is a mandatory standard that aims to improve and protect water quality in Europe. It covers, among other issues, the need to establish particular reference conditions for assessing river ecosystems and defines the ecological status of water bodies and conserve the hydromorphological characteristics of rivers. The quality of riparian vegetation is an important component of stream status and contributes directly to a river's ecological stability. QBR index (“Qualitat del Bosc de Ribera”) is one of the most widely used methods of evaluating riparian quality. This paper presents a new methodological version of the QBR index (QBR-GIS) to assess the ecological status of riparian forests. For this purpose, we have considered the four major conceptual blocks of the QBR index (total vegetation cover, cover structure, cover quality and channel alteration) using geographically referenced information, remote sensing and machine learning techniques. To obtain the cover quality indicator, several vegetation indices were calculated and a sensitivity analysis was performed. The QBR-GIS was validated from the results obtained from the QBR index. QBR-GIS provides greater reliability and objectivity in the results. Furthermore, it reduces the time spent on field visits and increases accuracy in obtaining the status of riparian quality. Furthermore, it is a useful tool for landscape planning and management, improved ability to apply the QBR Index to larger areas of the river catchment, resulting in more information on riparian quality.

Environmental Personhood as a Landscape Planning Tool

Abstract In the face of increasing human impact on the environment, it is necessary to look for new tools for sustainable landscape planning. One of them may be the institution of environmental personhood. The conducted studies based on an analysis of legal texts show that environmental personhood has evolved into a more complex institution. Increasing emphasis is placed on the intangible, cultural, and even spiritual aspects of granting legal personality to natural objects. The first implementations of environmental personhood in Ecuador, Bolivia, Australia, and India did not concern landscape, but the other cases in Colombia, New Zealand, and Canada did and have features typical of a landscape planning tool.

The landscape thresholds analysis as an integrated approach to landscape interpretation for planning purposes

Two general arguments have triggered the need for tools enabling planners a careful consideration of complicated landscape conditions in planning and design decisions. The first one is the need to implement sustainable development rules, including landscape heritage protection while the urban transformation is taking place. The second one is the lack of comprehensive landscape planning tools responding to the new landscape definition and landscape development rules of the European Landscape Convention (2000). In recent years the hermeneutical approach emerged and provided the framework to construct such tools. The landscape thresholds analysis (LTA) has been built upon this approach and threshold theory, which has a long tradition in spatial planning. A description of the method is presented based on the example of West Wilanów (Warsaw, Poland). Within this area, the Wilanów Town housing estate has been located on the grounds of the former royal residence with still existing palace surrounded by a park. The application of the LTA method allowed “translation” of the results of the landscape interpretation into spatial categories (here: natural, cultural, and sensual-cognitive thresholds) and an indication of the areas with different restrictions. The presented LTA method, embedded in a theoretical hermeneutical framework, provides a common denominator in the concept of landscape thresholds dealing with all three layers of the landscape. Focused on the identity of landscape recognition and interpretation of the results by landscape thresholds LTA method constitutes a comprehensive toolbox for landscape and spatial planning purposes

Measuring Overtourism: A Necessary Tool for Landscape Planning

The tourism debate prior to the COVID-19 pandemic was dominated by the problems inherent in overtourism, reflecting an inadequate land management. Although publications on overtourism have grown exponentially in recent years, its scientific study still has major shortcomings, particularly with regard to measurement. With the aim of overcoming this insufficiency, we have carried out a review of the literature (using the mapping review method) and, based on its conclusions, we have drawn up a proposal to systematise the measurement of overtourism by combining several tools: indicators, surveys, interviews, and other tools linked to the Internet and social networks. The results of the research make a contribution to the expansion of the literature on the topic and may have important practical implications in formulating effective land-use policies by guiding policy makers in the management of overtourism. They could be of use in both the early detection of overtourism and the design of policies that prevent and/or detect situations of risk and that correct existing problems. This is especially relevant in the current international context to implement the effective transition to a responsible tourism model post-COVID-19.

Electroencephalogram Application for the Analysis of Stress Relief in the Seasonal Landscape.

This study proposes an integrated approach to assess the psychological and physiological responses of people in natural seasonal landscapes. The questionnaire of restoration outcomes scale (ROS), willingness to visit (WTV), cultural ecosystem services (CES) cognitive classification, and the neuroscientific technique based on electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements were applied. The effects of different landscapes on human perception were studied by comparing the EEG data of different landscape types and different seasons. The coupling relationship between EEG data and stress recovery was also examined. The results showed the following: First, there was a significant difference between the winter landscape and the summer natural landscape. Second, only the winter landscape showed significant gender differences. Third, the values of ROS and WTV in the summer landscape were greater than those in the winter landscape. Fourth, the number of CES in the summer landscape was significantly higher than that in the winter landscape, and the number of CES in water was higher than that in the forest and grassland. Thus, brain wave data and quantified values from questionnaires including ROS, WTV, and CES showed significant seasonality. Therefore, an EEG can be used as a new, more objective tool and method for landscape evaluation and planning in the future.

Assessing the Role of Kettle Holes for Providing and Connecting Amphibian Habitats in Agricultural Landscapes

The intensification of agriculture over the last few decades has caused habitat loss, which poses a significant threat to the survival of populations and species. Where habitats are connected, populations may escape the destruction of their habitat by migrating to another one. Consequently, the functional connectivity of landscapes has become an important focus for species conservation. Kettle holes are hotspots of biodiversity that provide suitable conditions for wildlife species (i.e., amphibians, insects, aquatic plants) and contribute to landscape heterogeneity. They are also considered to function as stepping stone habitats that contribute to habitat connectivity. This study assesses the contribution of kettle holes for (i) habitat provision and (ii) the functional connectivity of three amphibian species with different movement ranges, and (iii) the study identifies areas where the creation of stepping stone biotopes could improve functional connectivity. The contribution of kettle holes was assessed using GIS-based clustering within three research areas in Germany. It was found that the importance of kettle holes for providing amphibian habitats in the three studied areas was equal to or higher than that of other wetland habitats. The state of functional connectivity and the contribution of kettle holes differed strongly depending on the species’ range. For the short-range species, landscapes were highly fragmented, and the contribution of kettle holes was much smaller than that of corridor habitats. For the long-range species, all habitats suited for amphibian reproduction were connected, and the contribution of kettle holes was similar to that of corridor habitats. However, the contribution of both was mostly redundant. Overall, the results showed that kettle holes play a crucial role in habitat provision and function as important stepping stone biotopes in agricultural landscapes. The clustering method applied in this study provides a simple tool for landscape planning and environmental protection agencies, which can be easily adapted to analyze functional connectivity and habitat interactions for different species or landscapes.

Ecosystem Services of Hospital Gardens - Based on Microclimate Analyses of Green and Blue Garden Elements

Abstract The increasing urbanization process of the last decades has resulted in negative impacts and changes in the quality of the urban environment, as reflected in mortality and morbidity data (Páldy, 2018). The quality of the environment, the urban climate, the increased frequency and duration of extreme weather events, ultimately threaten human well-being. To design and build liveable cities, the quality of the urban environment must be improved, and improving micro- or local climate is an important factor in this. Increasing the proportion and quality of biologically active surfaces, i.e. the ecosystem services provided by green spaces, is one of the most effective tools for urban conditioning and enhancing human well-being. Determining the proportions of the green area, the design of vegetation, the choice of pavements and microarchitectures all determine the microclimate of an open-space. This has been confirmed by a large body of research and implemented work, but it is also important for designers to make a preliminary prediction of the impact of any intervention on the climatic conditions of the design site. These predictions will help cost-effective designing to determine which intervention will result in climate change. This research uses two specific examples to examine the effectiveness of each landscape designing tool and to show which designing tool produces what and how much climatic impact. For these studies, we used a climate modeling program (ENVI-MET), which runs simulations to infer the climate modifying effects of landscape planning tools. In the course of the research, we have shown that the local climate of hospital gardens could be significantly influenced by favorable, environmental-friend paving, a higher green cover ratio, and a well-developed and sufficiently dense tree canopy, and various water features.

Research Trends of Ecosystem Services From the Perspective of Landscape Planning—Summary on the 10th Ecosystem Services Partnership World Conference

The Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP) Conference is one of the highest-level global academic conferences on ecosystem service (ES) research. Focusing on the research and practice of ES worldwide, ESP Conference offers an important way to grasp the cutting-edge knowledge for scholars and professionals. Currently, ES evaluation indicators and evaluation methods have been integrated the research and practice of landscape planning and design. This paper sorted out the break-out session themes at the 10th ESP Conference related to landscape planning and summarized the research presented in each session. It analyzed and summarized the research and practice hot spots from 3 perspectives: multiple landscape types, the application of ES in planning and management, and ES mapping and modeling. Finally, the paper offers insights on future interests of the application of ES research into landscape planning, including 1) exploring ES evaluation for multiple landscape types; 2) exploring the theoretical and practical frameworks for integrating ES Science into landscape planning; and 3) exploring integrated ES modeling and mapping tools for landscape planning and management.

Spatial Planning Tools as a Key Element for Implementation of the Strategy for an Integrated Governance System of Historical Built Areas within the Central Europe Region

A strategy represents a plan of actions designed to achieve a long-term vision, mission and related goals according to a generic definition. Regardless of the quality of a strategy, it is still the only plan or framework that needs to be implemented. For reaching the genuine effects and qualities incorporated within the objectives of the strategy, a wide set of integrative tools needs to be considered. Especially, when we are talking about the integrative strategy not only from a territorial point of view but also content, sources, challenges, time or multilevel integration. The strategy for the integrated governance system of historical built areas (later also as HBA) in Central Europe is precisely this type of integrative strategy. The paper is focused on the provision of an overview of available integrative spatial planning tools (socio-economic, land-use, land-scape planning tools) which have the potential to support or realise implementation of the goals. Spatial planning offers wide range of integrative approaches and tools supporting the participation of all groups of stakeholders, which is also a key aspect of successful implementation of this kind of strategies. The article demonstrates this approach on best practice from the city of Poprad (Slovakia) where historical built areas (HBAs) are important parts of the city and the strategy for the integrated governance system of HBA in Central Europe covering also this city. The paper, in particular, summarizes the preliminary outputs of international project BhENEFIT supported by Interreg Central Europe Programme. The project is focused on improving sustainable management approaches of historic built areas and looking for novel solutions improving decision-making and managing processes efficiently, through a strategy-based approach and effective monitoring and assessing, risk prevention, environmental sustainability, conservation and re-use.

UNIDADES DE PAISAGEM NO BAIRRO SANTA FELICIDADE, CURITIBA-PR: CONTRIBUIÇÃO PARA UMA CARTOGRAFIA DE SÍNTESE

Considerando os estudos da paisagem sob a perspectiva geossistêmica, o trabalho teve como objetivo a delimitação de unidades de paisagem e suas aplicações no planejamento do bairro Santa Felicidade (Curitiba-PR). Reuniram-se dados cartografados do meio físico-biológico e antrópico, oriundos de pesquisas desenvolvidas no bairro e que foram organizados em um Sistema de Informações Geográficas, para auxiliar no processo de síntese. Foram delimitadas unidades de paisagem originais, pretéritas à intensa ocupação do bairro e, com a inserção dos dados da ocupação antrópica atual encontraram-se quatro unidades de paisagem. O bairro apresenta grande diversidade de paisagens, porém com a tendência a homogeneização por meio do adensamento populacional e de edificações. A técnica de delimitação de unidades de paisagens proporcionou uma visão aplicada, constituindo em uma ferramenta útil para a cartografia de síntese e ao planejamento da paisagem. As características de cada unidade de paisagem permitiram a proposição de ações de planejamento, tais como programas de educação ambiental, restrições de uso e ocupação com base na legislação, criação de espaços livres de edificação, entre outras intervenções.

Allometry of urban trees in subtropical Hong Kong and effects of habitat types

Quantitative information regarding tree species-specific size is an essential tool for landscape planning. It reflects tree-environment and human–environment interactions in the urban landscape. The effects of habitat types on tree allometry have seldom been evaluated. Firstly, to derive size-related information of common urban tree species in Hong Kong. Secondly, to evaluate the effects of habitat types on tree allometry. A database of 28,622 trees was established by a field assessment. The allometric relationships (DBH-height and DBH-crown width relationships), by both OLS regression and quantile regression, and maximum size of 30 common urban tree species, and the effects of five main habitat types on tree allometry were determined. Species were assigned to groups according to dimensional traits by cluster analysis. In general, the allometric relationships of height and crown width to DBH were significant and varied among species. The wide prediction intervals of the OLS regression indicated the high uncertainty of allometric relationships in our region. The 99th percentile crown width of most species reached 10 m, hinting the general failure of most habitats to meet the planting space requirement. Only two large-stature species have narrow crowns. Habitat types posed significant but small species-specific effects on tree allometry. Roadside tree pit was a particularly stressful environment. Our findings can act as a reference for landscape planning and management in Hong Kong and nearby cities, including species growth space requirement and habitat limitations. However, prediction of height or crown width from DBH must be carefully interpreted in our city.

Water erosion aspects of land degradation neutrality to landscape planning tools at national scale

The soil erosion by water is a land degradation process identified the Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) conceptual framework and a soil threat recognized in the Soil Thematic Strategy. It is also a very significant problem in the Mediterranean area. The common cause of land degradation is incorrect land use and management practices, which enhance the importance of planning the future of the landscape. When solving a soil erosion problem, not only land degradation is being reversed, but soil safety is provided: water conservation, biodiversity improvement, ecosystem services provision and better landscape equilibrium.The Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) target, referred in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, is defined as a state whereby the amount and quality of land resources necessary to support ecosystem functions and services and enhance food security remain stable or increase within specified temporal and spatial scales and ecosystems. Despite some initiatives and recent projects about the achievement of LDN target, the link to landscape planning tools is still lacking.The approach followed in this study incorporates the centric and holistic perspective of soil, and aims to contribute to a definition of a mapping methodology of the areas that should be submitted to land degradation neutrality plans providing ecosystem restoration planning and the co-benefits of restoring soil functions. This goal will be supported by the assessment of the soil conservation status at a national scale (Portugal), using an integrated approach between soil maintenance/improvement and soil degradation, with the current soil cover protection. The evaluation of soil cover protection was established with the interpretation of land use classes and its cover-management factor (C-factor) from the Universal Soil Loss Equation and was tested in three different scenarios: (S1) the higher C-values collected in the research studies (S2) the more recent C-value collected in the research studies and (S3) an adapted scenario with assumptions considered by the authors.The study applied to mainland Portugal showed that Scenario S3 was more equilibrated regarding the distribution of the results (conservation vs. restoration) but was dependent of a set of defined assumptions especially regarding the different forest trees characteristics and management practices performed in Portugal. In this scenario, it was identified that 45.6% of Portugal needs LDN planning towards ecosystem restoration. The proposed methodology also identifies different priority classes of intervention, where the public or private investments could be targeted. Those LDN planning areas are easily framed in the responses to achieve LDN: avoid, reduce or reverse.

Landscape-Ecological Assessment of Dry Lands of the Russian-Kazakhstan Border Zone for Sustainable Land Use

An algorithm for the landscape-ecological assessment of drylands is developed and implemented based on the integration of geosystem, ecological-landscape, and agro-ecological scientific approaches, as well as landscape planning tools. The algorithm includes an analysis of the landscape structure of the territory and land-use dynamics; assessment of the potential natural resistance of landscapes to agricultural impact and their agricultural production quality; functional zoning; and the development of optimization measures for land use. The results of the study showed that 92% of the territory of the Russian-Kazakhstan border zone is represented by landscapes with poor or no resistance to agricultural impact. Landscapes with low values of agricultural production quality constitute 73% of agricultural land. Landscapes of good and medium agricultural production quality make up 19% and are located on flat interfluves. Recommendations for sustainable land use in the zone of dry steppes are proposed based on the identified landscape differentiation.

Characterizing driver behavior in dilemma zones at signalized roundabouts

In some Asian countries, roundabouts were designed as a tool for landscape and urban planning in less-populated areas, which did not initially need traffic lights. However, as the urbanization grew, it was needed to signalize these roundabouts to prevent accidents. One of the main reasons for high accident rates at intersections is the dilemma that drivers face when the signal changes from green to yellow. The purpose of this paper is to study the dilemma zone (DZ) at roundabouts and driving factors that affect the stop or go decision. This paper determines the length of all-red interval for yellow light running (YLR) vehicles, using time to collision (TTC) and kinematic motion (KM) methods. TTC sets all-red interval so that the “last to go” vehicles have enough time to clear middle of the roundabout before conflicting vehicles reach the conflict point. KM method applies the kinematic motion equations to estimate the time required to clear the conflict point. The obtained results for three roundabouts in Mashhad, Iran demonstrate that the DZ is shorter and closer to stop-line, as compared to signalized intersections. Drivers drive more conservatively at roundabouts and are more willing to stop. Comparison of TTC and KM reveals that the central tendency and dispersion measures of all-red interval are larger in disaggregate KM method. Studying driving factors shows that driver perception-reaction time of drivers at roundabouts matches to a large extent with the values recommended by AASHTO and ITE. However, such consistency is not observed for acceleration and deceleration rates.

Landscape-Hydrological Assessment of the Lake Baikal Coast for Recreational Development Purposes

This paper considers the theoretical and methodological aspects of landscape-hydrological analysis in substantiating the possible development of recreational activities within the boundaries of the central ecological zone of the Baikal natural territory (BNT CEZ) in Irkutsk oblast. The hydrological characteristics of the landscapes in terms of their sensitivity and resistance to natural changes and external influences are given. We carried out a landscape-hydrological zoning for the BNT CEZ territory within the boundaries of Irkutsk oblast having regard to the conditions of runoff formation, the characteristic features of its regulation in various landscapes, and to the possibility of preserving the natural water regime and the waterecological state in utilizing the territory. It is determined that the main factors for the landscape differentiation in assessing the advisability of recreational development without damage to the Lake Baikal ecosystem and to the natural waters of BNT CEZ as a whole are the hydrological properties of landscapes and resistance of natural complexes to impacts. It is found that the level of realization of the main hydrological functions of landscapes, i. e. the runoff formation, runoff regulation and water protection functions, characterizes the involvement of the natural complex in the formation of quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the local runoff, in the replenishment processes of dynamical reserves of subsurface waters, the regulation of natural floods and freshets, the preservation of the water-ecological potential of the territory. As a result a landscape-hydrological framework zoning of the territory using the landscape planning tools, three zones have been identified: the zone of the preservation of the existing state, the zone of regulated use, and the zone of territorial development. The proposed zones have general recommendations for the preservation of the hydrological and water-ecological indicators of the natural complexes which imply abandoning any activity in areas of particularly high value and highly sensitive to impacts, and the possibility of developing recreational activities in sustainable areas, subject to environmental protection measures.

Collision sensitive niche profile of the worst affected bird-groups at wind turbine structures in the Federal State of Brandenburg, Germany

Biodiversity-related impacts at wind energy facilities have increasingly become a cause of conservation concern, central issue being the collision of birds. Utilizing spatial information of their carcass detections at wind turbines (WTs), we quantified the detections in relation to the metric distances of the respective turbines to different land-use types. We used ecological niche factor analysis (ENFA) to identify combinations of land-use distances with respect to the spatial allocation of WTs that led to higher proportions of collisions among the worst affected bird-groups: Buntings, Crows, Larks, Pigeons and Raptors. We also assessed their respective similarities to the collision phenomenon by checking for overlaps amongst their distance combinations. Crows and Larks showed the narrowest “collision sensitive niche”; a part of ecological niche under higher risk of collisions with turbines, followed by that of Buntings and Pigeons. Raptors had the broadest niche showing significant overlaps with the collision sensitive niches of the other groups. This can probably be attributed to their larger home range combined with their hunting affinities to open landscapes. Identification of collision sensitive niches could be a powerful tool for landscape planning; helping avoid regions with higher risks of collisions for turbine allocations and thus protecting sensitive bird populations.

Stochastic ecohydrological-geotechnical modeling of long-term slope stability

Rainfall-triggered landslides are the result of the complex water-related processes occurring in the atmosphere-soil-vegetation system. In this paper, we present a methodology to assess long-term slope stability from rainfall, soil, and vegetation parameters. Our approach couples the stochastic ecohydrological model developed by Rodriguez-Iturbe et al. (Proc R Soc A: Math Phys Eng Sci 455(1990): 3789–3805, 1999) and Laio et al. (Adv Water Resour 24(7):707–723, 2001b) and the unsaturated flow equation. In this way, the stochastic nature of the rainfall process propagates through the system, finally reaching the FS. Then, synthetic time series generated by numerical modeling are used to infer the FS statistical properties. The study of a hypothetical case study showed that the long-term slope stability is highly sensitive to the ratio of the amount of water that can be evapotranspirated and the amount of water the soil can infiltrate and less sensitive to the ratio of the saturated hydraulic coefficient and the long-term rainfall rate. A scaling analysis evidenced the existence of statistically significant (R2 ≈ 1) exponential relationships between ecohydrological dimensionless numbers and slope failure probability. The method presented here is a useful tool for landscape planning.

Landscape planning for Ukrainian rural communities: challenges, outputs, prospects

A significant number of economic, social and environmental problems have accumulated in all areas of Ukraine and pose a serious obstacle to sustainable development. Those problems are particularly acute in the rural areas. The local rural communities in Ukraine have the lowest indicators of economic development, significant social problems, including particularly acute demographic and employment problems, and an unfavorable ecological situation caused by poor municipal infrastructure, land degradation, etc. The vast majority of the rural communities in Ukraine have no plans for their own territories’ development. In such circumstances, the introduction of landscape planning tools is an effective means of identifying the existing development problems and environmental management issues, as well as of defining the best ways for the integrated development of the local rural communities. A number of reasons prevents introduction of such planning in Ukraine, including the flaws in the legislation, lack of interest among managers of rural communities and low activity of local people on the issues which determine the future of their settlements. However, there are examples of successful implementation of landscape planning tools in designing of the plans of rural communities’ development. The authors were a part of the team which, for the first time in Ukraine, undertook this research in the Stepanetsky rural council in Cherkassy region. The results of the research have been welcomed by the management, the residence and the members of the village council and they are being practically implemented. The foregoing demonstrates the relevance and feasibility of landscape planning tools implementation in Ukraine directed at addressing and resolving the problems of the rural communities.