Eckart Lange

The limits of realism: perceptions of virtual landscapes

Abstract 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.

Plant health and global change – some implications for landscape management

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.

Integration of computerized visual simulation and visual assessment in environmental planning

Abstract 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.

Combining a participatory planning approach with a virtual landscape model for the siting of wind turbines

Abstract The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zürich is planning to build three wind turbines for the production of renewable energy. Their proposed location is near the campus of ETH Hönggerberg in the Käferberg 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 Zürich 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 early integration of 3D visualization combined with a participatory approach is an effective way to elucidate potential conflicts at an early stage of the planning process.

Multiple-Case Study of Landscape Visualizations as a Tool in Transdisciplinary Planning Workshops

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.

A comment on the market value of a room with a view

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.

Estimation of the Influence of View Components on High-Rise Apartment Pricing Using a Public Survey and GIS Modeling

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 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.

An Analysis of Usage of Different Types of Visualisation Media within a Collaborative Planning Workshop Environment

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.

Vista management in Acadia National Park

Abstract 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.

Getting virtual 3D landscapes out of the lab

Increasingly realistic virtual three dimensional (3D) models have been created that demonstrate a variety of landscape designs. They have supported a more collaborative and participative approach in planning and design. However, these 3D landscape models are often developed for use in bespoke virtual reality labs that tie the models to expensive graphics hardware, or complex arrays of screens, with the viewer spatially detached from the actual site. Given the increase in prevalence of advanced “smartphone” and tablet technology with GPS and compass functionality, this paper demonstrates two methods for on-demand dissemination of existing virtual 3D landscape models using: (1) a touch based interface with integrated mapping; (2) a standard web browser interface on mobile phones. The latter method demonstrates the potential to reduce the complexity of accessing an existing 3D landscape model on-site to simply pointing a smartphone in a particular direction, loading a web page and seeing the relevant view of the model as an image. A prototype system was developed to demonstrate both methods successfully, but it was also ascertained that the accuracy of GPS positional data can have a negative effect on the browser based method. Finally, potential developments are presented exploring the future of the technology underpinning the method and possible extensions to the prototype as a technique for increasing public participation in planning and design.