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Wetland parks are designed to support urban ecological protection, flood control and human well-being. Existing research mainly focuses on their influence on ecology and economy. However, their influence on human well-being and health is rarely studied. In China, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic (Peak), people were very concerned about health, while at the same time wetland parks which are generally considered beneficial to health were closed. Thus, this study explores the public’s perception of the health effects of visiting wetland parks and the impact of the pandemic on the perception. From March 5th to 8th, 2020, before the Peak in China was over, 1,400 respondents participated in a nationwide online survey. It was found that the perceived benefits from visiting wetland parks were higher in terms of mental health than in physical health. Also, the perceived health benefits of wetland parks after the Peak were slightly higher than before the pandemic. The results highlight that wildlife habitat services were considered to be the most important ecosystem services that promote the perceived health benefits. Interestingly, the perceived health benefits of wetland parks by health experts appear to be lower than in other groups, indicating that the health benefits of visiting wetland parks may be overestimated by lay-people or underestimated by health experts. The results provide empirical evidence for managing ecosystem services as delivered by these urban wetlands, in the context of COVID-19 or potential future pandemics, for promoting public health.

This study investigated the effect of different limestone quarry reclamation treatment options on people’s perception of reclaimed limestone quarries. Ten different combinations of treatment methods and after-care for reclaiming quarries were simulated from which 50 still images were captured along a transect at five different distances from 50 m to 6400 m. The attractiveness and different landscape characteristics were rated at the University of Sheffield by 70 students from different academic backgrounds. Highly visible rock was least preferred whereas landscapes that contained water and trees received the highest preference ratings. The methodology and overall findings would be applicable to landscape quality assessment and reclamation in other settings.

Wetland parks are designed to support urban ecological protection, flood control and human well-being. Existing research mainly focuses on their influence on ecology and economy. However, their influence on human well-being and health is rarely studied. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic (Peak), people were very concerned about health, while simultaneously wetland parks which are generally considered beneficial to health were shut down. Thus, this study explores the publics’ perception of the health effects of visiting wetland parks and the impact of the pandemic on the perception. From March 5th to 8th, 2020, before the Peak in China was over, 1,400 respondents were surveyed online nationwide. It was found that generally, the public perceived physical and mental health benefits by visiting WPs, and perceived higher benefits in mental health than in physical health. The expected (i.e. imagined) perceived health benefits after the Peak were slightly higher than before the pandemic. The results highlight that wildlife habitat services were considered to be the most important ecosystem services that promote the perceived health benefits. Interestingly, health experts perceived health benefits to be lower from WPs than other groups, indicating that the health benefits of visiting WPs may be overestimated by lay-people or underestimated by health experts. The results provide empirical evidence for managing ecosystem services as delivered by these urban wetlands, in the context of COVID-19 or potential future pandemics, for promoting public health.

This article reviews different techniques for reclaiming quarries in England. They can be used to reclaim abandoned quarries as well as those that are still operating. A number of reclamation techniques have been developed to revert land that has been quarried for minerals to some productive state. The techniques discussed in this paper include rollover slopes, backfilling, benchplanting, and restoration blasting. These techniques are mainly used to prepare quarry landform to support vegetation, ensure safety at site, as well as accommodate different after-uses. A less conventional method of natural recovery or spontaneous succession is also discussed. Whether applied solely or in combination, the use of these techniques has a potential to enhance the environmental qualities of land degraded by quarrying.

Growing international demand for renewable energy has led to rapid growth in the wind power sector and wind farms are becoming an increasingly common feature of landscapes and seascapes in many countries. However, as the most appropriate locations within established markets are taken up, and as wind power penetrates new markets, there is an increasing likelihood that proposed projects will encroach on sensitive landscapes and residential areas. This will present challenges for the industry, particularly due to the impact that public opinion can have upon the outcomes of planning decisions about specific projects. This article introduces the four key dimensions of the WindNet programme, which are helping to elucidate some of the socio-technical debates that will likely shape the future of the wind power sector. The article outlines studies investigating (1) public responses to cumulative landscape and visual impacts, (2) the auditory impact of wind power projects on human health, (3) the science of wind farm design and its implications for planning, and (4) the relevance of the democratic deficit explanation of the so-called "social gap" in wind farm siting. The outcomes of the research being conducted by WindNet stand to help reduce uncertainty within the planning process and assist in providing a more comprehensive and fairer assessment of the possible impacts associated with wind power project development.

With urban design, it is becoming increasingly important to both visualise spatial changes and quantify the effect of these changes on the local microclimate: the former often for public consultation and the latter to develop landscapes that provide resilience to warmer weather thus reducing the urban heat island effect. It is possible to automatically construct 3D landscape models from vector site plans and height data sources through procedural generation. However, the generation of the inputs for microclimate models remains a time consuming process even though 3D visualisations or site plans may already exist. In this paper, a method to link procedurally generated 3D landscape models to microclimate simulations is demonstrated. Using this method, a case study is presented that allows initial calibration of the model and then several distinct alterations in the base design are tested alongside the variation in weather conditions looking forward to 2080. Finally, graphics card shaders are used to incorporate the temperature data within the interactive 3D procedural models, allowing both real-time manipulation of view point and simulation time.

Within the planning process, there is a recent trend to engage with stakeholders. Traditionally, visualisation media such as plans, sections, and physical models have been used to aid communication of planning proposals, yet technological advances now allow for virtual interactive, three-dimensional visualisations of proposals to be created. It is unclear whether these new technologies will usurp or augment the more traditional media. In an experimental setting, a set of participants in a collaborative planning workshop were introduced to a range of different visualisation media for a riverside flood-defence proposal and asked to discuss the proposal. Video recordings were made of the workshop and a questionnaire was completed by each participant. A method for capturing the time usage of each media type is presented. This shows that plans and interactive eye-level walkthroughs were the most used media types, but that user-based assessment of media might not match observed usage. These results lead to a discussion about visualisation media that should be created and further research to support the participatory planning process. Keywords: landscape, visualisation, 3D, interactive, media usage, collaborative planning, video, model

This research investigated the perceptual interaction of combining sound with 3D landscape visualizations.\ud Images sourced from Google Earth at St. James’s Park, London, UK, showing terrain only,terrain with\ud built form or terrain with primarily vegetation were paired with four sound conditions using recordings\ud from the park (i.e. ‘no sound’, anthropogenic, mechanical and natural). Perceived realism and preference\ud were evaluated using a survey delivered via the Internet and in a controlled laboratory environment\ud (N = 199 total). Analysis using repeated measures ANOVA indicated the interaction of sound and 3D\ud visualizations significantly alters environmental perception both positively and negatively. Sounds and\ud visuals that are congruent receive higher realism and preference ratings while the more incongruent\ud the combination is, the lower the corresponding ratings. The lowest realism and preference ratings are\ud given to visualizations showing terrain only combined with speech. The highest realism ratings overall\ud correspond to visualization with built form combined with speech, and visualizations showing primarily\ud vegetation paired with a birdcall. The absolute highest realism rating was for the visualization with\ud primarily vegetation and some built form paired with speech, while the highest preference ratings correspond\ud to visualizations showing vegetation paired with birdcall or no sound. Aural-visual data collected\ud via the web-based survey was comparable to data collected in the laboratory and overall realism ratings\ud for the Google Earth visualizations were low (e.g. below 3 on a 1–5 likert type scale). The results suggest\ud there is an opportunity to increase experiential authenticity of 3D landscape visualizations with sound.

Many international policies encourage a switch from fossil fuels to bioenergy based on the premise that its use would not result in carbon accumulation in the atmosphere. Frequently cited bioenergy goals would at least double the present global human use of plant material, the production of which already requires the dedication of roughly 75% of vegetated lands and more than 70% of water withdrawals. However, burning biomass for energy provision increases the amount of carbon in the air just like burning coal, oil or gas if harvesting the biomass decreases the amount of carbon stored in plants and soils, or reduces carbon sequestration. Neglecting this fact results in an accounting error that could be corrected by considering that only the use of ‘additional biomass’ – biomass from additional plant growth or biomass that would decompose rapidly if not used for bioenergy – can reduce carbon emissions. Failure to correct this accounting flaw will likely have substantial adverse consequences. The article presents recommendations for correcting greenhouse gas accounts related to bioenergy., Energy Policy, 45, ISSN:0301-4215

The early years of landscape and urban planning coincided with the start of the era of digital landscape visualizations, and work published since then has contributed to advancements in representation, assessment, and decision-making in landscape planning and design. This paper examines the journal's articles on landscape visualization published over its 99 volume history (1974–2011), noting technological advances, case studies, and research topics and questions considered to be important during this time. This work is then examined in the context of subsequent developments in the field of landscape visualization in terms of distinct research areas, directions, and topics reflected in the publications. From this analysis, the paper presents an outlook on future challenges for research and practice that includes themes such as the diffusion of 3D visualization in our everyday environment, linking visualizations with underlying models, going beyond highly realistic but simply descriptive visualizations, using visualizations in an assessment and decision-making context, and incorporating multi-sensory experiences. It also considers the prospects for further technological advancements such as augmented reality for making decisions in the planning and design of our future environments.

This paper presents a transdisciplinary multiple-case study, set in Switzerland, that was part of the European Fifth Framework Program project VISULANDs—Visualization Tools for Public Participation in Managing Landscape Change (2003–2005). The project sought production of new visualization tools enabling public participation in landscape management. In cooperation with workshop participants, researchers constructed three-dimensional (3-D) landscape visualizations to represent various scenarios of landscape change. The planning objective was to develop sustainable solutions for landscape-related planning problems in tourism, agriculture, and forestry. Two of the case studies produced implemented results. The research objective was to analyze the effectiveness of landscape visualization as a tool in transdisciplinary workshops with external researchers and local stakeholders. The research illustrates how the interactive construction of different types of landscape visualization may contribute to solutions for planning problems on local to regional scales through transdisciplinary knowledge construction, dialogue, and consensus building.

Results generated by planning and futures studies are often too abstract to provide a clear vision of the future to non-specialists. In this study the role of 3D visualization and the challenges in developing and communicating visible visions for our future landscapes is explored. While traditional visualization techniques have been well-known for several hundreds of years digital 3D visualizations are still not yet taken advantage of in long-term planning or in futures studies in general to their full potential. As part of an iterative consultation and participation process a long-term vision for the landscape and land management of the Alport Valley in the Peak District National Park, UK is developed in order to improve the valley's special landscape character, to enhance the valley's visual and recreational attractiveness, to regenerate the woodlands in ways that maximize the long-term benefit of ecology, wildlife and landscape and to get a good balance between wooded areas and open moorland. An early integration of 3D visualization in the planning process offers a wide range of opportunities for exploring alternative futures but it also poses challenges to the expert planners such as being able to react timely, with a high degree of realism and interactively to incorporate new inputs from participating stakeholders. Furthermore, the planner is forced to translate a vision into concrete geographically referenced data. Only then the vision can be visualized. The full potential of 3D visualizations in the planning disciplines and in futures studies is still to be explored. The visualizations could be the basis to communicate the vision – the views of the future – and to share the vision with others in order to influence future change.

With the shift from the formerly dominating primary production sector to the secondary and now the tertiary sector, the vast majority of the population has lost direct influence on shaping our landscape. However, public interest in landscape and environmental decision making remains active. Approaches to public participation were introduced some decades ago, but only sporadically. International declarations and conventions of strategic importance, such as the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and the AARHUS Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, provide the foundation for integration in national regulations addressing public involvement in decision making. Using the Alport Valley in the Peak District National Park, UK, this case study illustrates how planning proposals that did not involve stakeholders and their opinions came to a halt and had to be changed. Through stakeholder involvement, there is now a broad consensus about the future of this landscape. As part of an iterative consultation and participation process, a long-term vision for the landscape and land management of the Alport Valley has been developed to improve the valley’s special landscape character, enhance its visual and recreational attractiveness and regenerate the woodlands in ways that maximise the long-term benefit for ecology, wildlife and landscape.

In discussing issues of landscape change, the complex relationships in the landscape have to be assessed. In participative planning processes, 3D visualisations have a high potential as an aid in understanding and communicating characteristics of landscape conditions by integrating visual and non-visual landscape information. Unclear is, which design and how much interactivity is required for an indicator visualisation that would suit stakeholders best in workshop situations. This paper describes the preparation and application of three different types of integrated 3D visualisations in workshops conducted in the Entlebuch UNESCO Biosphere Reserve (CH). The results reveal that simple representations of a complex issue created by draping thematic maps on the 3D model can make problematic developments visible at a glance; that diagrams linked to the spatial context can help draw attention to problematic relationships not considered beforehand; and that the size of species as indicators of conditions of the landscape's production and biotope function seems to provide a common language for stakeholders with different perspectives. Overall, the of the indicators the functions required to assist in information processing. Further research should focus on testing the effectiveness of the integrated visualisation tools in participative processes for the general public.

The provision of green space is increasingly being perceived as an important factor for quality of life. However, green spaces often face high developmental pressure. The main objective of this study is to investigate a prospective approach to green space planning by combining three-dimensional (3D) visualization of green space scenarios and survey techniques to facilitate improved participation of the public. Aside from the 'Status quo', scenarios 'Agriculture', 'Recreation', 'Nature conservation' and 'Wind turbines' are visualized in three dimensions. In order to test responses, a survey was conducted both in print format and on the Internet. Overall, 49 different visualizations that belong to one of the scenarios were available in the survey and were rated according to the perceived esthetic, recreational and ecological values. The highest rated scenes include vegetation elements such as meadows with orchards, single trees, shrubs or forest. The least attractive scenes are those where buildings are highly dominant or where there are no vegetation elements. Based on the ratings for the individual images and on the corresponding scenarios, our study shows that there is high potential for improving the existing landscape. All suggested changes are either rated about equal to or considerably higher than the status quo, with the scenario 'Nature conservation' receiving the highest scores.

This study presents a qualitative, comparative analysis of ex ante visualizations, created during planning\ud and design phases, with ex post photography of landscape and architectural projects. Visualizations play\ud an increasingly important role as decision-making tools in the planning process and are expected to\ud successfully communicate proposals to both experts and laypersons. Outside of the wind farm industry\ud there is a lack of detailed guidance for those creating landscape visualizations and currently no method\ud of analyzing the accuracy of visualizations exists. In a world where we increasingly rely on information\ud communicated in a visual manner itis imperative that potential viewers are provided with clues to enable\ud them to distinguish between what is real and what is not. This study analyses a selection of visualizations\ud from a cross section of landscape and architectural projects and reveals reoccurring patterns of inconsistencies\ud in the depiction of content elements. The control of production through agreed guidelines\ud proposed by previously published research could have both positive and negative effects for the future\ud of visualization production. This research proposes that the starting point for honest communication lies\ud in transparency, in both production techniques and presentation to clients, stakeholders and the public.\ud There is scope for more in depth image analysis of a larger body of projects that may reveal more detailed\ud findings that could contribute to future guideline discussions.

Modelling cultural ecosystem services is challenging as they often involve subjective and intangible concepts. As a consequence they have been neglected in ecosystem service studies, something that needs remedying if environmental decision making is to be truly holistic. We suggest Bayesian Networks (BNs) have a number of qualities that may make them well-suited for dealing with cultural services. For example, they define relationships between variables probabilistically, enabling conceptual and physical variables to be linked, and therefore the numerical representation of stakeholder opinions. We assess whether BNs are a good method for modelling cultural services by building one collaboratively with canoeists to predict how the subjective concepts of fun and danger are impacted on by weir modification. The BN successfully captured the relationships between the variables, with model output being broadly consistent with verbal descriptions by the canoeists. There were however a number of discrepancies indicating imperfect knowledge capture. This is likely due to the structure of the network and the abstract and laborious nature of the probability elicitation stage. New techniques should be developed to increase the intuitiveness and efficiency of probability elicitation. The limitations we identified with BNs are avoided if their structure can be kept simple, and it is in such circumstances that BNs can offer a good method for modelling cultural ecosystem services.

The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zurich is planning to build three wind turbines for the production of renewable energy. Their proposed location is near the campus of ETH Honggerberg in the Kaferberg open space. This open space is of high importance for the recreation of the local residents. It is one of the last open spaces in Zurich that is used agriculturally. In order to provide a broad forum for discussion and to examine the level of acceptance of the proposed wind turbines a new approach to participatory planning is pursued by introducing a virtual landscape model to a participatory planning workshop for which the different interest groups and stakeholders were invited. During the workshop different alternatives were discussed and suggested changes by the participants were incorporated in the 3D model and visualized. The results of the workshop show that 3D visualization is an important means of communication among the different interest groups. The workshop also shows that an ...

A growing trend towards high-density urban living increases the significance of natural features within the urban fabric. In high-rise living the view is one means of continuing contact with the environment. Using visualizations, public survey techniques, and a geographic information system (GIS), we estimate the effect of parks, water, industry, and high-rise buildings on willingness to pay for views from high-level apartments. With the GIS we determine what will be visible within the view and the proportion of different land uses or structures that make up the view. In order to tlsb>link the analytical variables to the view values a set of base images is systematically altered in terms of the proportion of water, parks, buildings, and industry present in the scenes. Surveys are conducted to determine the willingness of people to pay for preferred views. The results from a regression analysis show that water and green space have positive coefficients and buildings and industry both have negative coefficients. Particular attention is paid to the influence of distance on the view proportions. Our calculations are compared with empirical results from other studies.

Zur Fragestellung „Welchen Einfluss haben Anwendungen mit grobtropfiger Applikation auf die biologische Wirkung von Pflanzenschutzmitteln im Apfelanbau?“ wurden in wichtigen Obstanbaugebieten Deutschlands praxisnahe Versuche angelegt. Die verwendete Technik, die gepruften Sorten, Wassermengen u.a. reprasentieren viele Anwendungsfalle. Die Daten von 130 biologischen Vergleichen aus verschiedenen Indikationen unter Verwendung zugelassener Pflanzenschutzmittel mit verschiedenen Wirkungsmechanismen wurden normiert und hinsichtlich der Haufigkeitsverteilung ausgewertet. Im Mittel aller untersuchten Indikationen konnten zunachst keine Unterschiede zwischen grobtropfiger Anwendung mit Injektorduse bzw. DG-Dusen und feintropfiger Anwendung festgestellt werden. In den Fungizidindikationen waren Tendenzen sichtbar, dass bei grobtropfiger Anwendung die Wirkungssicherheit leicht verbessert werden konnte. Generell ist der Einfluss der Dusenwahl bei sonst optimalen technischen Parametern begrenzt. Empfehlungen zur Dusenwahl sollten daher nur auf Basis einer hinreichenden Anzahl von Wirkungsversuchen unter verschiedenen Anwendungsbedingungen vorgenommen werden. Eine optimierte Dusenwahl muss in erster Linie indikationsspezifische Anforderungen der Bruheaufwandmenge in Verbindung mit geeigneten Fahrgeschwindigkeiten berucksichtigen. Grobtropfige Anwendungen mit Injektordusen, deren positive Auswirkungen auf eine Driftreduzierung hinreichend belegt sind, konnen hinsichtlich der biologischen Leistung im Apfelanbau uneingeschrankt empfohlen werden. Auswirkungen der grobtropfigen Applikation auf die Spritzfleckenbildung auf dem Erntegut mussen in weiteren Versuchen untersucht werden.

Views are very attractive to most people. Their monetary value is hard to quantify, however. Indications for the value of views are derived from the pricing of hotel rooms in Zurich, Switzerland. The higher price, which is charged for rooms with a view compared with those without a view, directly reflects the market value of the view. This type of information, though site specific, and therefore not necessarily representative, may be more persuasive to the public than information that is derived from sophisticated estimation procedures.

Communicating planning results within expert groups or to local citizens is crucial to an efficient planning process. In the planning and design disciplines such as landscape and urban planning, recent digital 3D-visualizations have gained increased recognition. However, the validation of simulations of virtual landscapes, in terms of their degree of realism (R’Degree) has so far been neglected in research. This study concentrates on the question whether, how, and to which degree the real visually perceived landscape, represented through photographs, can be validly represented by means of virtual landscapes. The study area comprises the communities of Schwyz and Ingenbohl–Brunnen situated on Lake Lucerne in Central Switzerland. From a modelling point of view, landscapes are highly complex structures. Instead of manually modelling the virtual environment, which is the traditional CAD-approach, a GIS-based approach is pursued. This is the prerequisite for the efficient visualization of large data sets. The validity of the created virtual landscape is tested in an empirical study in which test persons are asked to order a set of real images and variations of the corresponding computer-generated images. In the experiment, approximately 75% of the test persons assigned the highest possible value (very high degree of realism) to one or more scenes of simulated landscapes. In order to achieve an even higher degree of realism, more and very detailed 3D-object-data and accompanying texture information would be necessary.

The management of the visual resource is a neglected topic in Switzerland. This is quite surprising, taking into account that tourism, which plays a major role in the Swiss economy, to a great extent depends on an intact landscape. The “Our Visual Landscape” conference held on Monte Verita, August, 23–27, 1999 reviewed and explored new techniques and methods for the analysis, modelling, visualization and protection of our visual resources. In the last few years major innovations have occurred in many areas of computer based modelling and visualization of the landscape. At the same time developments in computer technology have opened new possibilities for decision support and communication for those with landscape management responsibilities. Advancement of knowledge in these areas will contribute to better planning and management of activities (urban development, recreation, forestry, mining, etc.) which affect the landscape. Crucial is the ability to incorporate visual resources into planning and managem...

The complexity of human spatial experience is often taken for granted. According to Gibson, we perceive the world in a dynamic way (Gibson 1979), thus, due to the phenomenon of movement, perception is not static. Moreover perception itself involves a variety of senses: hearing, touch, smell, taste, sight, the kinaesthetic system (the ability to perceive and coordinate movement) and the vestibular system (the sense of balance). It is clear that pictures do not provide a multi-sensory experience (no smell, no sound, no humidity). Nevertheless, one must say that most of human perception is based on visual information processing, through sight. At the same time, the language of planners, designers and engineers is a form of abstraction, made of images and means of spatial visualization (such as maps) that must convey information and sometimes generate emotions.

During recent decades, changes in the landscape have occurred rapidly and very dramatically. Increasing environmental awareness makes it necessary to develop methods which assist in assessing and evaluating environmental change including visual impacts on the landscape. Existing legal regulations in Switzerland regarding the visual landscape and its protection are examined. Technical difficulties in the visualization of landscape change, methodological problems in the evaluation of landscape beauty, and the lack of clarity in integrating visual aspects in the planning process are identified as major reasons for the insufficient consideration of visual aspects in practice. As an example, a proposed hydroelectric power station at the Bernina Pass in the Swiss Alps (Lago Bianco) is discussed, to illustrate how new computerized visualization techniques can be applied to help fulfil legal regulations and to predict the visual consequences of planned alterations and possible future changes.

Global change (climate change together with other worldwide anthropogenic processes such as increasing trade, air pollution and urbanization) will affect plant health at the genetic, individual, population and landscape level. Direct effects include ecosystem stress due to natural resources shortage or imbalance. Indirect effects include (i) an increased frequency of natural detrimental phenomena, (ii) an increased pressure due to already present pests and diseases, (iii) the introduction of new invasive species either as a result of an improved suitability of the climatic conditions or as a result of increased trade, and (iv) the human response to global change. In this review, we provide an overview of recent studies on terrestrial plant health in the presence of global change factors. We summarize the links between climate change and some key issues in plant health, including tree mortality, changes in wildfire regimes, biological invasions and the role of genetic diversity for ecosystem resilience. Prediction and management of global change effects are complicated by interactions between globalization, climate and invasive plants and/or pathogens. We summarize practical guidelines for landscape management and draw general conclusions from an expanding body of literature.

Prominent construction projects in Switzerland, such as the Sawiris luxury resort in Andermatt planned by Orascom Hotels & Development, Cairo (Egypt), or the idea of a hotel and apartment tower at Schatzalp, Davos, demonstrate how rapidly Alpine landscapes may undergo major changes. Decisions on whether or not such changes are supported by policymakers should be based on the best information available and in agreement with the local population to ensure long-term sustainable development. The present article investigates the potential and limitations of computer-based tools to support such decisions in the area of landscape planning, with a particular focus on Alpine landscapes.

The vistas along the loop road in Acadia National Park in Maine are crucial to the park experience of the visitor. During the last few decades, however, there has been a trend of a decreasing overall vista quality. This is happening in conjunction with a general trend of increased visitation and increasing local development pressures. A model which allows the classification of the vistas is developed in order to assess the condition of the vistas and to function as a planning tool.