Visual Aesthetic Quality Research Articles

Visual Aesthetic Quality of Qianjiangyuan National Park Landscapes and Its Spatial Pattern Characteristics

This paper conducts a scientific assessment of aesthetic quality to provide intuitive and scientific planning strategies for national park construction. Focusing on Qianjiangyuan National Park, the study used the scenic beauty evaluation (SBE) method to subjectively assess landscape photos from 16 sample sites. Objective eye movement indicators describing visual behavior were also analyzed. A national park landscape visual quality assessment model was derived through multiple linear regressions correlating subjective evaluations with objective indicators. Spatial technologies like ArcGIS were used to analyze the visual quality and its spatial distribution. Key findings include (1) subjective evaluations showed higher SBE scores for wetland landscapes, followed by recreational, village, and forest landscapes, (2) eye movement behavior varied across landscape types, with the forest landscape having the shortest first fixation time and the lowest saccade frequency, while recreational landscapes had the lowest average saccade speed, (3) strong correlations were found between SBE and indicators such as average fixation time and saccade frequency, with fixation duration ratio being the leading factor influencing visual aesthetic quality, and (4) visual aesthetic quality was highest in the north and south areas of the park, with significant differences between sample sites in these regions compared to the central area. Among different functional zones, the ecological protection area had the highest quality, while the Suzhuang management area excelled in aesthetic quality compared to the Hetian management area.

Expanding the Associations between Landscape Characteristics and Aesthetic Sensory Perception for Traditional Village Public Space

Traditional village landscapes have a cultural and regional significance, and the visual aesthetic quality of the landscape is widely regarded as a valuable resource to benefit the health and well-being of urban residents. Although the literature has analyzed the influential mechanism of landscape features on aesthetic senses, most were from a single dimension. To improve the precision of the landscape aesthetic evaluation method, this study expanded the indicators for landscape characteristics of public spaces in traditional villages by incorporating multiple dimensions, such as landscape visual attraction elements and landscape color. It explored their associations with sensory preferences in a case study in Dongshan (a peninsula) and Xishan (an island) of Taihu Lake. We used multi-source data, a semantic segmentation model, and R language to identify landscape characteristic indicators quantitatively. The research results indicated that the accuracy of the aesthetic sensory assessment model integrating multi-dimensional landscape characteristic indicators was significantly improved; in the open space of traditional villages, the public preferred a scenario with a high proportion of trees, relatively open space, mild and uniform color tones, suitability for movement, and the ability to produce a restorative and peaceful atmosphere. This study can provide a guarantee for the efficient use of village landscape resources, the optimization of rural landscapes, and the precise enhancement of traditional village habitat.

Identifying Suitable Variables for Visual Aesthetic Quality Assessment of Permanent Forest Reserves in the Klang Valley Urban Area, Malaysia

Permanent forest reserves (PFR) in urban areas are an integral aspect of the urban forest concept and the basis of a city’s green infrastructure. The preservation of natural forests in urban areas has become a widely researched topic due to the environmental, social, and economic benefits provided by it. Although several studies have shown that visual aesthetics play a role in preserving natural forests in urban areas, visual aesthetic value is typically not prioritized in preservation plans since it varies based on the physical characteristics of natural forests in urban areas, making it difficult to measure universally. Therefore, this research aims to identify the suitable variables for assessing the visual aesthetic quality of permanent forest reserves within urban areas in Malaysia. This study selected two permanent forest reserves based on four criteria. Data were collected via participant-generated images taken along selected forest trails based on participant visual aesthetic preferences. Researchers and experts analyzed and classified the data according to content to identify suitable visual aesthetic quality variables. This research identified 14 suitable variables for assessing the visual aesthetics of PFRs in urban areas, with a dominant preference for information-processing theory variables. Mystery was the most present variable for the visual aesthetic quality assessment of PFRs. Furthermore, participants’ educational and emotional backgrounds, categorized as design, environmental, social, and technical, impacted their visual aesthetic preferences. Our findings serve as a foundation for assessing the visual aesthetic quality of natural forests within urban areas in Malaysia.

A Framework for a User-Perception-Based Approach to Integrate Landscape Protection in Soft Mobility Planning

The relationship with bike infrastructure is missing in the current examination of user perception, which places a great deal of emphasis on visual aesthetic quality or surveys. Italy is experiencing the great development of cycling infrastructures, and the related plans, in line with sustainability objectives, have the task of examining users in various aspects. The purpose of this study is to examine users’ criteria based on perceptions of the landscape in the presence of cycling infrastructures and to analyze the current infrastructures and understand their alignment with sustainable plans. One of the multiple-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods based on fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) was utilized, and it entails identifying the factors that constitute an index and assessing the priority of these factors in relation to other components. The findings demonstrate that the primary variables are distinct aspects of the landscape that are objective. We discovered that these components perform better for urban than metropolitan sectors in this study, as we divided the scenarios into metropolitan and general (urban, suburban, and coastal urban) scenarios.

Determining the Weightage of Visual Aesthetic Variables for Permanent Urban Forest Reserves Based on the Converging Approach

Permanent urban forest reserves are aesthetic assets within cities. Consequently, their aesthetic quality must be continuously preserved and visually assessed. Even though numerous studies have utilized multiple variables to characterize visual aesthetics, they have lacked information on the importance and weightage of each variable, making it very challenging to assess this. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relative weightage of the visual aesthetic variables for permanent urban forest reserves in Malaysia. We used a converging approach assessment method to determine the ranked preferences for the visual aesthetic variables of permanent urban forest reserves by selecting multiple variables based on public preferences and expert survey assessments of these. In addition, we utilized the converging approach results as a guide for the analytic hierarchy process in order to determine the weights of the visual aesthetic variables. We identified 14 variables, derived from six main variables, as multiple visual aesthetic variables for permanent urban forest reserves based on the content of photos taken by 12 public participants. The expert survey confirmed the validity of the classification of the variables and the importance of their linear sequencing. It was revealed that the greatest weight normalization (W = 10) was achieved from the variables “openness with city view”, “uniqueness of water with natural elements”, and “openness with water view”, while the least weight normalization (W = 1) was obtained from the variables “legibility with natural path”, “uniqueness with man-made elements”, and “uniqueness with natural elements”. Our findings provide a foundation for assessing the visual aesthetic quality of permanent urban forest reserves.

Investigating Visual Aesthetic Fatigue in Urban Green Spaces.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41742-023-00517-x.

Combined effects of dominant sounds, conversational speech and multisensory perception on visitors’ acoustic comfort in urban open spaces

People’s perceptions are an important part of a landscape; however, little attention is paid to acoustic comfort in landscape planning and design for various urban open spaces. This study was primarily conducted to examine the effects of dominant sound types, conversational speech and multisensory perception on the subjective evaluations of acoustic comfort of open space based on an on-site questionnaire survey in typical urban open spaces. The results showed that as the first dominant sounds moved from being mechanical and anthropogenic to being nature-related, the acoustic comfort evaluations increased significantly within the dominant sound identification dimension. The subjective loudness of the background sound level and perceived speech intelligibility were significant indicators for acoustic comfort in each type of open space within the conversational speech perception dimension; decreased subjective loudness could contribute the most to higher acoustic comfort evaluations among indicators at the same perceptual levels (on a five-point scale). Olfactory comfort, thermal comfort, sunshine, and visual aesthetic quality of view were significant indicators for acoustic comfort depending on different types of open spaces within the multisensory perception dimension; increasing positive olfactory perception to the ‘very comfortable’ level could promote higher acoustic comfort evaluations than other indicators at the same perceptual level in multisensory interactions. In terms of the combined effects of the indicators within the three dimensions and the visitors’ sociodemographic factors, the combined indicators would better fit in predicting the acoustic comfort evaluations, in which the indicators of conversational speech and the multisensory perception were key determinants with high important values contributing to acoustic comfort evaluations.

Evaluation of Antalya Bus Station Information Element Designs in terms of Visual Aesthetic Quality

A The concept of information, known as information expansion, has been at the forefront in terms of the needs of societies from the past to the present. Recently, especially with the development of technological facilities, the importance of information design systems has increased considerably. Information and guidance elements exist in every field of social use, enabling the transfer of information; It is an important element in providing interaction for information and orientation within the spaces and gaining the functional and visual aesthetic appreciation of people with effective visual communication tools. As a social use, bus station structures also stand out as an important public space in the design of information and guidance elements. Within the scope of the study, focusing on the informatics language of bus station structures; It is aimed to determine the signage systems in the building through the example of Antalya Bus Station and to evaluate these designs in the context of graphic design space. In the evaluation of the identified signage systems, semi-structured interview techniques and descriptive analysis methods were used. In the first stage of the study, passenger, and employee opinions about the information-guidance qualities of the existing signage systems were taken. Within the scope of the interview data obtained, signage systems were evaluated by making descriptive analyses in the context of design elements and design principles as information-guidance design components determined in the existing literature. As a result of the evaluations, it was seen that most of the signage systems in the bus station structure were insufficient in terms of functional and visual aesthetic quality and that identity was not given to the bus station space and the city. As a method criterion, the study is expected to be a source for researchers from many disciplines that are active in the information and guidance design of bus station structures with approaches and elements appropriate to the identity of the city.

A framework for quantitative analysis and differentiated marketing of tourism destination image based on visual content of photos

Photos shared by tourists are being generated at an unprecedented speed, creating new opportunities to study tourism destination images. Nevertheless, little research has focused on the tourist's perception of images from multiple perspectives and how to construct differentiated marketing strategies that link tourists with destinations. With the support of deep-learning technology, we propose herein a quantitative analysis strategy and differentiated marketing framework driven by photo big data which contains images of tourism destinations. We draw on photos of tourism destinations shared by tourists and analyse three aspects of perceived images – composition scene, visual aesthetic quality and visual uniqueness. We further develop a set of objective image-projection schemes that integrate multiple indicators of tourism destinations to improve destination marketing. Finally, we focus on an empirical case study of Wuyuan, China. The results of the study have methodological, theoretical and practical implications for the tourism industry.

Visual Aesthetic Quality Assessment of Urban Forests: A Conceptual Framework

Visual aesthetic quality is the visual pleasure level that attracts people and makes them prefer certain areas. Visual aesthetic quality is valued and considered for urban forests but remains challenging. This could be due to a lack of understanding of visual aesthetic quality assessment variables based on visual aesthetic theories. This study supports an integrated conceptual framework based on the result of a systematic literature review study to describe and measure aesthetics that incorporates objective and subjective factors through urban forest visual character and urban forest visual quality. The results include defining and understanding a description of visual aesthetic factors and variables as well as a thorough explanation of visual aesthetic theories to comprehend how to assess the visual aesthetic quality of urban forests. This study agrees with and supports the visual aesthetic theoretical framework, and we believe that due to our shared evolutionary history, humans have a standard set of urban forest visual aesthetic features with preferences that change according to cultural and personal variances. Furthermore, this research provides a foundation of visual aesthetic variables of urban forests that will assist urban forest researchers, urban forest managers, and decision-makers in managing and protecting the visual aesthetics of urban forests.

Spatial Analysis for the Landscape Visual Aesthetic Quality of Urban Residential Districts Based on 3D City Modeling

The landscape visual aesthetic quality (LVAQ) of urban residential districts is an important index for measuring urban livability and is a tripartite concern among urban managers, real estate developers and residents. The LVAQ of residential districts is determined by their visual openness and the aesthetic degree of the surrounding landscape, a value combining subjective evaluation and objective analysis. Although existing studies have carried out empirical analyses on the LVAQ of residential districts and have summarized some influencing factors, they have largely overlooked the specific impact and interactions of various factors, failing to establish 3D city models meeting LVAQ analysis requirements and falling short in developing appropriate evaluation approaches suitable for whole city scale. In this study, we propose a spatial simulation analysis for the LVAQ of residential districts based on 3D city modeling, aesthetic evaluation and viewshed analysis. In order to improve the accuracy of the study, we collected massive RS data and established a 3D city model covering a large amount of architecture and landscape information. We analyzed three representative cases and calculated the LVAQ of 1258 residential districts in Changsha City, Hunan, China, evaluating the results with various construction and planning indicators. Our results show that the LVAQ of residential districts is affected by their own construction conditions and the surrounding districts and landscape areas. Various architectural and planning indicators have restrictive and direct effects on LVAQ. Optimizing the layout of landscape areas and the construction mode of residential districts through urban planning and urban renewal may help improve their LVAQ. This study helps better understand the general principles that affect the LVAQ of residential districts and supports the development of urban scale LVAQ analysis methods for residential districts. The findings are expected to provide methodological support for the landscape analysis and evaluation of urban residential districts in China and other developing countries and provide optimization ideas for urban human settlement environment sustainability.

How do humans value urban nature? Developing the perceived biophilic design scale (PBDs) for preference and emotion

With the growth of urbanization and the increasingly hectic pace of life, exposure to urban nature within blue-green infrastructure is greatly impacting human health and well-being. Biophilia, an evolutional concept, conveys the initial connection between humans and nature; biophilic design transfers into design attributes to indicate the relationship between humans and the environment. A significant advantage of experiencing nature is positive restoration; however, only limited research has been conducted on connecting biophilic design and mental health. This study adopted our perceived biophilic design items (PBDi) to examine the relationship between landscape preferences and emotional states in urban green spaces. Online surveys (valid total n = 477) examining these biophilic items, landscape preferences, and emotional states were conducted. Seven aspects—(1) evolved human–nature relationships, (2) place-based relationships, (3) visual aesthetic quality, (4) state of natural change, (5) environmental perception, (6) sense of compatibility in the built environment, and (7) natural form of design method —were confirmed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA), with 64.35 % of the cumulative variance, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) demonstrated good convergent validity and discriminant validity. The overall perceived biophilic design scale (PBDs) with 28 items had a Cronbach’s α of 0.91. In addition, it was found that PBDs significantly explained landscape preferences and positive emotional states within urban nature. The findings provide an alternative tool for measuring human biophilic perceptions that influence environmental experiences. In addition, each item in the scale could be used as a biophilic guideline for designers and planners to reinterpret nature in cities and to enhance our connection to nature in general.

Spatial analysis for the landscape visual aesthetic quality of urban residential districts based on 3D City Modeling

Spatial analysis for the landscape visual aesthetic quality of urban residential districts based on 3D City Modeling

An Explorative Analysis of the Influence of Landscape Visual Aesthetic Quality on Food Preferences in Italy: A Pilot Study.

As some previous research has highlighted, landscape characteristics are useful for improving the market share of some food products and the market power of companies in the agrifood sector. The purpose of this study is to verify whether the visual aesthetic quality of the landscape can influence food preferences and the willingness to pay for agrifood products. To this end, the preferences of 64 participants for three types of juice (orange, peach and pear) were analysed through a blind tasting experiment. Each participant tasted three pairs of fruit juices, one for each type of juice. The juices belonging to each pair were the same, but before tasting, the participants were shown two photos portraying the orchards where the fruits were produced, so participants were induced to think that the juices were different. The landscape associated with each pair of photographs had a different visual aesthetic quality (high or low). Participants were asked to provide three measures while tasting the juices: their overall juice assessment using a seven-point hedonic scale, the visual aesthetic quality of the photos on a seven-point Likert scale, and their willingness to pay as a percentage variation of the price that they usually pay to buy fruit juices. According to our results, the mean overall liking score and the mean willingness to pay percentage variation for the juices associated with a preferred landscape was higher and statistically different. Despite the need for further research, our results suggest that landscape acts as a proxy for quality in the evaluation of some food products and that the use of landscape photos could be a valid marketing strategy in agribusiness.

Conceptualizing the stylistic body movements in contemporary Ghanaian dances as performance art form

This paper attempts to conceptualize the stylistic body movements in contemporary Ghanaian dances through the aesthetic lenses of performance art. The expressiveness of performance art forms is frequently praised for the emotions we have toward them. These feelings are derived from the symbolic connotations and functionalities of the arts in life. Through an exploratory design of qualitative inquiry, the researchers focus on a contextual dialogue on the aesthetic visual presentations of selected contemporary Ghanaian dances as performance art forms. The critical content analysis of music videos was espoused to examine the stylistic body movements and gestures coded in some contemporary Ghanaian dances such as Azonto, Twerking, Kupe, Pilolo and Shoo as part of an empirical artistic study. Instruments for data collection were observation, document analysis and photography for the contextual visual content analyses grounded in semiotic and aesthetic theoretical discourse. This study again relied heavily on secondary data from recorded communication including music videos, books, transcripts, websites, newspaper articles, journal articles and the like to make objective inferences. The findings indicate that dance is the communication that occurs via the conduit of the dancer's body that ruptures individuals' independent existence and generates a sense of finitude. Whereas some of the dances make aggressively erotic visual statements, others are mere expressive gestural and body movements to simply entertain a targeted audience. The result further shows that, the contemporary Ghanaian dance performances transcend beyond mere entertainment but rather are an embodiment of body language emerging from the indigenous dance symbolisms. Teaching learners to perceive visual aesthetic qualities and symbolic interpretations in dance performances will deepen the appreciation of Ghanaian dance performances not just as entertainment but as another medium for expression to transmit their inherent messages. It is suggested that, these dance forms should be formalized as indigenous knowledge in a quest to blend tradition with modernity in our creative endeavours. This knowledge should be propagated through creative arts education in Ghanaian schools. Other performance art components displayed in contemporary Ghanaian dances including body painting, facial expressions, costumology and fashion accessories present another lacuna for further research by future researchers. Key words: aesthetics, dance, therapy, performance art, body, movement

Effects of seasonality on visual aesthetic preference

Seasonality is a typical feature of landscapes in temperate regions. Seasonality’s effects on visual aesthetic quality (VAQ) are widely recognised but not well understood. To address this gap, 10 sample sites were selected to represent the diversity of urban green spaces in Xuzhou, eastern China, which has a typical temperate monsoon climate. Photographs of the 10 sites were acquired in eight typical months to capture seasonality. Online surveys were used to evaluate the VAQ of the photographs. The mean value of the coefficient of variation of 16 landscape characteristics of a site during the seasons was used to represent seasonal diversity. The results indicated that: (1) the autumn landscape was the most preferred, and the winter landscape was the least preferred; (2) there was a significantly inverted U-shaped relationship between year-round VAQ and seasonal diversity. This is the first study to define seasonal diversity and its effect on VAQ.

Analysis of Landscape Visual Aesthetic Potential in Ocean Dream Samudra Ancol Recreation Area, Jakarta with Visual Resources Assessment Procedure Method

Recreation area The Ocean Dream Samudra Ancol, one of the largest aquatic mammal educational recreation areas in Jakarta, is called the largest Oceanarium located in the Taman Impian Jaya Ancol, Jakarta. It has various potentials both from natural and artificial resources in its visual landscape. The landscape arrangement in the Ocean Dream Samudra Ancol recreation area has not been used optimally. This study aims to analyze the visual aesthetic aspects of the landscape to find out the visual aesthetic quality in the Ocean Dream Samudra Ancol recreation area and at activity points that are often visited by visitors. Based on this, it is necessary to analyze the visual aesthetic potential of the landscape in the Ocean Dream Samudra Ancol recreation area through the Visual Resource Assessment Procedure (VRAP) as a method of determining the visual aesthetic value of the landscape by using a variable assessment table at each potential activity point (View Point) with Macro visa assessment approach. The final result of this research study is a value at the point of the activity area that has attractive visual aesthetic potential or not. So that it can be known what values and elements exist that must be maintained, modified, preserved or rehabilitated in the area.

Analysis of Landscape Visual Aesthetic Potential in Ocean Dream Samudra Ancol Recreation Area, Jakarta with Visual Resources Assessment Procedure Method

Recreation area The Ocean Dream Samudra Ancol, one of the largest aquatic mammal educational recreation areas in Jakarta, is called the largest Oceanarium located in the Taman Impian Jaya Ancol, Jakarta. It has various potentials both from natural and artificial resources in its visual landscape. The landscape arrangement in the Ocean Dream Samudra Ancol recreation area has not been used optimally. This study aims to analyze the visual aesthetic aspects of the landscape to find out the visual aesthetic quality in the Ocean Dream Samudra Ancol recreation area and at activity points that are often visited by visitors. Based on this, it is necessary to analyze the visual aesthetic potential of the landscape in the Ocean Dream Samudra Ancol recreation area through the Visual Resource Assessment Procedure (VRAP) as a method of determining the visual aesthetic value of the landscape by using a variable assessment table at each potential activity point (View Point) with Macro visa assessment approach. The final result of this research study is a value at the point of the activity area that has attractive visual aesthetic potential or not. So that it can be known what values and elements exist that must be maintained, modified, preserved or rehabilitated in the area.

Determinants of switching intention from web-based stores to retail apps: Habit as a moderator

Online retailers seek to motivate their customers to switch from web-based stores to retail apps as using the latter as a shopping channel has many benefits for retailers compared to web-based stores. This study aims to examine the drivers of customers' intention to switch from web-based stores to retail apps by applying the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S–O-R) model. The moderating role of habit was investigated. Data were collected from 389 Malaysian individuals through an online survey and analysed using the partial least squares technique. The results indicated that performance expectancy has a significant influence on switching intention and is driven by mobile characteristics. Furthermore, effort expectancy has a positive effect on both performance expectancy and switching intention and is triggered by visual complexity and aesthetic quality. The moderating effects of habit on the associations between performance expectancy, effort expectancy and switching intention were not supported. The findings extend the literature on retail apps by exploring the switching intention drivers and testing the moderating effect of culture, which have received less attention. The results enable retail apps' developers and marketers to strategise retail apps development and marketing activities in a way that encourages current web-based stores’ customers to use retail apps as a better alternative.

Implementation of the visual aesthetic quality of slope forest autumn color change into the configuration of tree species

Urban expansion leads to changes in the visual aesthetic quality and ecological degradation of the surrounding slope forest landscapes. Color is a crucial visual element to examine when viewing this large-scale slope forest landscape from a long distance. This is particularly true for the autumn color of slope forest, which is very attractive to the public. An exploration of the relationship between the change in color of a natural slope forest and its visual aesthetic quality enables the implementation of the configuration of superior aesthetic tree species. Therefore, it can provide aesthetic rules and a reference to configure local tree species to support their visual aesthetic quality, ecological sustainability and native biodiversity restoration in a local urban slope forest. However, such research is critically lacking. This study investigated the visual aesthetic quality of the color dynamics of a natural slope forest in Jiaozi Mountain, China in the autumn. We analyzed both the composition of tree species and the changes in color for each species of tree in nine forest sites that exhibited superior visual aesthetic quality. The results showed that the forests with superior visual aesthetic quality were more green, red, and yellow, had moderately higher saturation and value, more obvious color contrast, and diverse colors with primary and secondary contrast. Diverse and balanced color patches or a dominant color patch contrasted by many small patches with interspersed color components also highlighted the superior visual aesthetic quality of slope forest features. Different combinations of color features can result in high visual aesthetic quality. The 84 tree species in the superior visual aesthetic quality forests primarily displayed 10 types of color changes that varied as green, yellow, blue, red, withered yellow, withered red and gray.