VISUAL QUALITY IN A ROCKY MOUNTAIN ENVIRONMENT By Kathleen Barry A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Environmental Design- Master of Arts 2017 ABSTRACT VISUAL QUALITY IN A ROCKY MOUNTAIN ENVIRONMENT By Kathleen Barry The benefits of a mountain landscape touch people physically, emotionally and psychologically. Often overlooked are the aesthetic benefits mountain landscape features provide us. This thesis explores the physical landscape of a mountain environment in Aspen, Colorado and the positive effect mountain landscape features have on the visual quality of the research area. Utilizing the predictive visual quality equation developed by Dr.
Jon Bryan Burley (J. Burley, 1997) and Professor Kendall’s coefficient of concordance statistical test (Brown & Daniel, 1987) the study proves the positive influence of mountain landscape features on the visual quality score of the rocky mountain environment. Key Words: Visual Quality, Landscape Architecture, Mountain Aesthetics ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank Dr. Burley for his aid in development and completion of my research.
His guidance allowed me to explore a topic I am passionate about in an applicable manner for my graduate degree. He dedicated his time and experience in helping me learn and grow as a student researcher. I will take with me as I enter my career his enthusiasm for learning, calm demeanor, and drive to make a positive impact on the world through landscape architecture. I would also like to thank my three committee members; Karen Russcher, Paul Nieratko, and Robert Schutzki for their time, comments and questions.
Their varying points of view added depth and substance, in turn expanding my research. Finally, I would like to express gratitude to my graduating classmates. Five years at Michigan State University growing as individual people and as aspiring landscape architects. The endless hours spent learning together and from each other have been the most meaningful experiences, I truly thank you for all the help and support in this journey.
iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES. v LIST OF FIGURES. vi CHAPTER 1: Introduction. 1 CHAPTER 2: Literature Review .1 Purpose of Study.
61 iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Independent Variables (J. 34 Table 2: Environmental Quality Index (J. 35 Table 3: Visual Quality Score by Zoning District. 38 Table 4: Visual Quality Score and Mountain Area Comparison.
39 Table 5: Average Visual Quality and Area of Mountain by District. 45 Table 6: Percent of Pavement. 47 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Colorado State. 26 Figure 2: City of Aspen, Roaring Fork River Valley, Colorado.
27 Figure 3: Downtown Aspen Photograph Locations by Zoning District. 30 Figure 4: Mixed Use West. 33 Figure 5: Lodge West – Full Enclosure. 43 Figure 6: Commercial Core East – Threshold of Enclosure.
43 Figure 7: Commercial Core West – Minimum Enclosure. 44 Figure 8: Mixed Use South – Loss of Enclosure. 44 Figure 9: Residential South. 48 Figure 10: Residential West.
49 Figure 11: Mixed Use West. 50 Figure 12: Commercial Core East. 51 Figure 13: Commercial Core East. 55 Figure 14: Commercial Core South.
55 Figure 15: Commercial Core North. 55 Figure 16: Commercial Core West. 56 Figure 17: Lodge East. 56 Figure 18: Lodge South.
56 Figure 19: Lodge West. 57 Figure 20: Lodge North. 57 Figure 21: Mixed Use East. 57 vi Figure 22: Mixed Use South.
58 Figure 23: Mixed Used West. 58 Figure 24: Mixed Use North. 58 Figure 25: Residential East. 59 Figure 26: Residential North.
59 Figure 27: Residential West. 59 Figure 28: Residential North. 60 vii CHAPTER 1: Introduction Value in the Rocky Mountain Environment is often measured by the successful interaction between the natural and built environments. The natural wonders that are the Rocky Mountains, stand as sights people work very hard to incorporate into their everyday lives.
In the heart of the Rockies, Colorado, these iconic landforms have stood for thousands of years and are considered to be treasured entities. The city of Aspen, Colorado is known to be a tourist hotspot, with approximately 300 historic landmarks. These include buildings, structures, parks, cemeteries, and bridges; the city of Aspen is one full of culture and spirit. The popularity of this tourist destination is derived from its historical background and surrounding landscape scenery.
The town thrives on the recreational and scenic opportunities that are present thanks to the natural environment. As time continues and expansion occurs, the matter of preserving these natural resources becomes ever more pressing. How does a historic place such as Aspen, Colorado balance preservation of the mountain views with the booming growth of the city itself? The line of preservation and expansion incorporates many delicate factors. The beautiful natural landscape and historic entities often stand to be threatened by expansion.
Why exactly do we want to preserve the mountain landscape and possibly restrict further human expansion? Aside from the obvious physical benefits that are associated with mountain activities, there is a distinct value in their visual appearance. Often overlooked is the aesthetic value which is not only concerned with what we see, but what emotions are evoked when we experience these vast landscapes. Small viewsheds here and there throughout a city can encourage a feeling of serenity for pedestrians within the hustle and bustle of an urban environment. Other times there are vast views to the mountain landscape, which can strongly connect and draw people to nature.
The mixture of different views brings a dynamic touch to the 1 structure and layout of the city. When contemplating future development in an environmentally sensitive area it is important to incorporate these various visual links and view corridors to the natural world, as well as protect them. As new development encroaches upon the physical mountain landscape, it threatens to diminish its visual value. This thesis focuses on the aesthetic value of viewsheds in a Rocky Mountain environment.
A viewshed is made up of the areas of land, water, and other environmental elements that can be seen from a fixed vantage point (Ii et al. In a city, such as Aspen, viewsheds should be very carefully considered throughout all stages of development. There has been some recognition, however there needs to be an increased emphasis on the importance of these viewsheds. The natural landscape has been appreciated for thousands of years; dating back to early Chinese and Japanese civilizations assessment of the landscape has been a topic of conversation.
There are many different views on how to manipulate natural and built structures to exist in a cohesive manner that benefits both humans and the environment. Theories have evolved over time and methods have advanced using technology, however there has always been an underlying theme in respect to the natural environment. Research studying the physical benefits of the environment has been vast, however until recent years the visual benefits were difficult to properly assess. Putting a quantitative value on how people aesthetically appreciate the landscape has limitations due to fact that the visual quality of landscape is often intangible (Lu, 2011).
Opinions on how to accurately evaluate the landscape reach towards the same goal, yet are derived from different theories or combinations of theories. Governmental agencies, psychologists, landscape architects, environmental planners and many more professionals have worked towards developing a concise method to evaluate and 2 predict the visual and ecological quality of the natural environment (J. Their methods have ranged from public surveys to psychological evaluations assessing natural and photographed landscapes. The varying tools used to evaluate human perception on the natural landscape have generated four universally recognized paradigms.
The expert paradigm, psychophysical paradigm, experiential paradigm, and the cognitive paradigm. The four models for assessing visual quality of the landscape each contain strengths and weaknesses when it comes to complete assessment. These four paradigms have led to positive advancements concerning visual quality. The research has been able to quantify the aesthetic value of our natural landscape, and prove there is a need to enhance and protect the viewsheds that overlook the environment.
With focus on the research of Dr. Jon Bryan Burley, who has studied respondents across South America and has developed a model concerning visual quality, this thesis studies the aesthetic value of Rocky Mountain viewsheds. 3 CHAPTER 2: Literature Review As humans, we benefit from the natural environment physically, psychologically and even visually. The aesthetic value of a landscape is a complicated topic that relies on several variables.
Historically, the landscape has been appreciated and respected as humans have settled and manipulated the land for their benefit. Early theories and techniques have been developed which are still relied upon today in landscape design and land planning. These theories and techniques balance the relationship between the natural and built environments to create the most pleasing surroundings both physically and visually. Early practices now act as the fundamentals for design.
As landscape architecture and environmental planning have become more and more established, research within the field has evolved from how to practice to how to improve the practice. This research specifically focuses on the improvement of visual quality; how to properly assess and design to achieve optimal visual quality within the landscape. The visual aspect of the landscape is an often overlooked element when it comes to design. However recently, within the last 50 years, there has been an increased awareness for the aesthetics of the designed environment.
Specifically, the mountainous regions; the mountain landscape has been a popular location for settlement based on industrial, recreational and scenic reasoning. With the recent upswing of the economy, there has been increased settlement and development in the Rocky Mountain region. With all the newly built structures it is imperative we actively think about viewsheds during the entire design process. Utilizing views toward the natural environment creates opportunities for successful design.1 Borrowed Scenery Based upon our past experiences and personal opinions we place a certain value on the outdoor spaces we encounter.
The ability to connect with our natural surroundings strengthens the value we place on the landscape. To experience a landscape consists of taking in the entirety of the scene using all senses; sound, taste, touch, smell and sight. The vast landscape we see before us, the smell of blooming flowers, sound of rushing water are all entities that contribute to our experience in a landscape. What we take in through our sensory receptors, the resultant feelings and emotions are what generate this value.
Focusing on the sense of sight, various techniques to enhance the visual experience of our environment have been used throughout time. Dating back to the late Ming-period is the technique of borrowed scenery, ‘Jienjing’ 借景 (Kuitert, 2015). The method is first explained in a comprehensive guide to garden-making manual titled The Craft of Gardens, ‘Yuan Ye’ 園冶 (Cheng, 1988). The technique of borrowed scenery incorporates the use of distant landscape features into the foreground to appear as one cohesive environment.
The illusion of expanding the outdoor space to encompass distant vistas increases the visual sensation and increases the visual value we place on the area, overall enhancing the experience. Originally descended from the Chinese, the technique did not take flight until the Japanese began using ‘Shakkei’ 借景 (Kuitert, 2015). The evolution of borrowed scenery truly began in Japanese gardens, the practice reinterpreted the way the landscape was viewed. The technique created an entire composition where a distinct foreground, middleground and background worked together to create a visually pleasing environment.
For a person standing in the garden, a picture was created as the garden seemingly expanded to the surrounding landscape. 5 The success of this design method relies on the unity of three elements; foreground, middleground and background. The foreground is represented by the garden, the area that is nearest to the observer.