Predicting Scenic Values in Forested Residential Landscapes

Abstract

Mathematical models that predict perceived scenic beauty have been developed for near and distant forested environments. To date, however, human artifacts such as homes, roads, or vehicles have been excluded from these models. The present research examines the scenic quality of nine forested subdivisions near or adjacent to public recreation areas in Colorado. In one experiment the scenic beauty judgments of panels of subjects successfully discriminated between the nine subdivisions. In a second experiment a series of home and landscape characteristics was used to predict scenic beauty judgments. Results of these experiments show that the observable characteristics of the landscape, human artifacts, and their interactions are important predictors of perceived scenic quality.