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Abstract
In this assessment of the aesthetic impact of a proposed nuclear power plant, the historic foundation of American concepts of scenic beauty played a major role. The plant is planned to he located on the Hudson River at the foot of the Catskill Mountains, an area that was also the geographical center of and inspiration for the country's nineteenth century romantic movement. The meaning and quality of several particularly outstanding views became the ultimate focus in studying the visual impact of the plant. A computer-assisted model of the surrounding scenic quality and a visual preference survey conducted among the local citizens completed the assessment. This research concluded that building the power plant in this location would entail an unacceptable, negative aesthetic impact. This finding was the basis for the issuance of a final environmental statement by the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission recommending that the utility's application for a license to build this plant be denied, an action unprecedented in the history of the nuclear power industry.
Parent Publication
Citation
Petrich, Carl H. 1979. Aesthetic impact of a proposed power plant on an historic wilderness landscape. 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. 477-484
