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Abstract
In response to urbanization pressures on the New England landscape, researchers at the University of Massachusetts have developed and tested two visual landscape assessment procedures as part of a comprehensive research project in landscape planning. The first procedure identifies those visually significant and unique areas within a town or region that warrant public intervention in decisions affecting their protection and preservation. The second procedure identifies the relative frequency of visual attributes within an area which enhance its liveability and hence its suitability and value for development. Both assessment procedures were constructed from research findings in the areas of scenic perception and preference, and resource econometrics. Application of the procedures seemed to show a strong corroboration between methods of scenic perception and econometric valuation techniques. The importance of relating visual values to other landscape values when making land use decisions was also demonstrated.
Parent Publication
Citation
Yuill, Charles B.; Joyner Jr., Spencer A. 1979. Assessing the visual resource and visual development suitability values in metropolitanizing landscapes. In: Elsner, Gary H., and Richard C. Smardon, technical coordinators. 1979. Proceedings of our national landscape: a conference on applied techniques for analysis and management of the visual resource [Incline Village, Nev., April 23-25, 1979]. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-35. Berkeley, CA. Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Exp. Stn., Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture: p. 348-357
