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Enhancing urban landscape configurations by integrating 3D landscape pattern analysis with people’s landscape preferences

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Abstract

Rapid urbanization in China has become an important social-economic issue. During the process of urbanization, a diversity of factors should be balancedly considered for the design of landscape configuration. Amongst these factors, people’s landscape preferences are given growing emphasis. Landscape preferences have been widely examined and some studies have been designed to link landscape preferences to landscape patterns. However, most studies have been conducted from a 2D perspective and therefore cannot simulate people’s actual perception of local landscape configurations. This paper proposes a framework, based on which 3D landscape pattern analysis and landscape preferences can be efficiently integrated for evaluating urban landscape configurations. Airborne light detection and ranging (Lidar) is an ideal tool for conducting 3D landscape pattern analysis. In accordance with 3D landscape pattern analysis, standardized and generally applicable surveys of landscape preferences can be designed and conducted in different areas. A case study was conducted in Cambridge and Canvey, UK to demonstrate how 3D urban landscape patterns can be analyzed. Furthermore, a case study was conducted in Cambridge, UK and Nanjing, China to explain how people’s landscape preferences can be acquired and compared. Landscape pattern analysis indicated that 3D landscape models effectively revealed comprehensive landscape patterns and simulated people’s perception of local landscape configurations. For instance, cross-culture surveys on general landscape preferences proved the existence of commonly shared landscape preferences, which may be used as evaluation criteria. This methodology provides reference for landscape planners and decision makers to enhance urban landscape configurations. The methodology is of potential contribution to China’s rapid urbanization by suggesting practical approaches to improve landscape patterns according to people’s preferences.

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Acknowledgments

This research is supported by the Department of Geography in University of Cambridge with Lidar data. Many thanks to Dr. Helin Liu for technical support. We would like to acknowledge Dr. Richard Russell for his proof readings and valuable comments from anonymous reviewers, which greatly improved this manuscript. This research is supported by the National High-tech R&D Program of China (863 Program) 2012AA12A407, National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) 2012CB955501-01 and the Youth Scholars Program of Beijing Normal University 2014NT21.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Global Change and Earth System Science, Beijing Normal University, 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian, Beijing, 100875, People’s Republic of China

    Ziyue Chen & Bing Xu

  2. Joint Center for Global Change Studies, Beijing, 100875, People’s Republic of China

    Ziyue Chen

  3. School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, People’s Republic of China

    Bing Xu

  4. Department of Geography, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Bing Xu

Authors
  1. Ziyue Chen
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  2. Bing Xu
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Correspondence to Bing Xu.

Additional information

This article is part of a Topical Collection in Environmental Earth Sciences on “Environment and Health in China II”, guest edited by Tian-Xiang Yue, Cui Chen, Bing Xu and Olaf Kolditz.

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Chen, Z., Xu, B. Enhancing urban landscape configurations by integrating 3D landscape pattern analysis with people’s landscape preferences. Environ Earth Sci 75, 1018 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5272-7

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