Large-Area Empirically Based Visual Landscape Quality Assessment for Spatial Planning – A Validation Approach by Method Triangulation

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Michael Roth - (First author)
  • Silvio Hildebrandt - (Author)
  • Ulrich Walz - (Author)
  • Wolfgang Wende - , Chair of Urban Development (Author)

Abstract

Large area visual landscape quality assessment, especially at the national level is needed to answer the demand from strategic planning. In our paper, we describe and compare two recent modelling approaches for this task regarding their theoretical and empirical basis, resolution, model configuration and results. To compare the outcomes of the two methods, both correlation measures and a visual overlay analysing the inversions are used. The results show, that despite the different methodological approaches, in over 90% of the area of Germany there are only minor deviations between the resulting scenic quality maps (less or equal one step on a five-step scale). The main differences occur due to a different relative weight given to terrain and water indicators in the respective methods. We conclude that a methodologically valid scenic quality evaluation using geodata of homogenous quality is possible also at the national level. By triangulating between different methods, for both, the validity could be proven. The datasets elaborated can also be used as a benchmark for regional landscape assessments and for an upcoming monitoring of changes in visual landscape quality.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number1891
Pages (from-to)1-23
Number of pages23
JournalSustainability
Volume13
Issue number4
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2021
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85100874303
Mendeley 65c68bcd-14cf-3a7f-9a27-cfe69bb3986f