Measurements of preferences for proposed landscape modifications

Predictive Landscape Portrayals: A Selective Research Review

“…Exceptions, though of limited scope, are reported by Wood (1972), Cunningham et al (1973), and Aylward (.1981). As Clamp observes, reviewxng a study of descriptive sketch simulations by Schomaker (1978), there is no indication of how "the most important class of sketches, for which there is no photographic original but only a brief or engineering drawing, is to be validated" (Clamp 1981, p. 20).…”

Methodological Issues in the Assessment of Landscape Quality

“…Of course, aB of these comparisons are between sets of observer-based scenic-quality assessments. In a different type of study, Schomaker (1979) found that observer panels consistently rated sketches exemplifying "high quality landscapes" (in the judgment of professional landscape architects) as being higher in scenic beauty than "low quality landscapes." This study could be taken as evidence for the validity of assessments based on both public judgment and landscape architects' (at least one) design intuitions about landscape quality.…”

“…Some would argue that more sensitive, more educated, expert judgments are more valid indicators of aesthetic merit (Carlson, 1977). While there is frequently agreement between expert and lay observers (Schomaker, 1979), there are some differences , so the question of which provides the more valid measure is important. The question cannot be answered by empirical tests and remains an unresolved philosophical issue.…”

“…In some application of psychophysical methods only average ratings (or percent choice) values are computed for each landscape (e.g., Brush, 1979;Schomaker, 1979). FormaIly, ratings (or choices) provide only an ordinal scaling or ranking of landscapes.…”

Visual Impact Assessment of Human Interventions on the Landscape: The case of Wind Farms and Solar Power Plants

“…Researchers have started to search for additional relationships between observer preferences and different types of land-use or landtopography [108,109], as well as man-made structures [110,111]. For example, Arriaza et al [108] found that the perceived visual quality increases, in decreasing order of importance, with the degree of wilderness of the landscape, the presence of man-made elements, the percentage of plant cover, the amount of water, the presence of mountains and the colour contrast.…”