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Natural beautiful scenery6/7/2023 ![]() It is a qualitative resource and is therefore dependent of human perception Admiring the view, Queenstown, New ZealandĪ qualitative resource contrasts with a quantitative resource which can be measured by conventional means – e.g. Landscapes comprising flat gibber plains in arid Australia which are characterized as having no variation in terrain, being barren without trees or other land cover, with no land use, with uniform color and texture, still average 3 – 4 on a 10 point scale of landscape quality, indeed some people rate them as 10 as they are quite striking landscapes in their own right. L ake Frome gibber plain – devoid of vegetation, land forms, water or any other attractive attribute yet rated 4.09 It may be degraded through abuse such as erosion, pollution or scaring by quarrying but a certain measure of quality remains. It can be changed but is never destroyedĪs a perceptual quality, landscape quality exists even in a small degree in every landscape. Views can be affected by air pollution which hangs over cities and sometimes drifts over scenic areas. This contrasts with many resources such as minerals, fish and soils which can be diminished by use, or, in the case of soils, by erosion. Niagara Falls have been viewed by countless people but it continues to pour over the ledge undiminished by this viewing. Like air, water or the wind, landscape quality can be viewed by many peopl e but this is non-consumptive, it does not diminish the total stock in any way. However they do not own the view – only the right to view it from a particular vantage point. This may be 10 – 15% of the property value. The value of their property will reflect this view and the value the community place upon it. ![]() People own property and often these are located so as to gain the advantage of a beautiful view. Because of this it does not enter the market place as a commodity except where it benefits a property. It is a public good, not privately owned Coastal house – taking advantage of the viewĪ beautiful scene is like other environmental goods such as air, wind, water and biodiversity – it is a public good, not owned by any one person. Landscape quality has the following characteristics. Rather than say, “It is a beautiful landscape”, we should say, “ I think it is a beautiful landscape.” Thus landscape quality is not the physical contents of the landscape but rather our mind’s interpretation of it. Landscape quality is the human subjective perception, both positive and negative, of the physical landscape, responding to its land forms, land cover, land uses, the presence of water, and other attributes. However this does not mean that it cannot be measured and understood objectively. Subjectivity is defined by the dictionary as deriving from perceiving a subject whereas objectivity refers to real or external things, “ uncoloured by feelings or opinions” (Concise Oxford Dictionary).īecause landscape quality derives from our senses, our perceptions, it is inherently subjective. It is commonly believed that as “beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”, scenic quality is a subjective quality it is not possible to objectively measure and understand it. ![]() Nevertheless, scenic quality is the term most widely used in the United States. The term, scenic quality, however, derives from scenery and can be confused with backdrops for plays for the theater which use the same term. The term, landscape quality, may be used interchangeably with terms such as landscape aesthetics, scenic beauty, and scenic quality. In contrast to landscape beauty, landscape quality covers the full range of aesthetic quality, from low to high, not just outstanding landscape quality. What do we mean by landscape beauty? This is actually a somewhat antiquated and restricted term, and it is preferable to use the phrase, landscape quality. Love of landscape – Changing attitudes to the Australian landscape Click here Marlborough Sound, New Zealand Where do landscapes fit in aesthetics? Click hereĪre scenic resources worth looking after? Click here To further explore this paradox, Click here There is no physical entity in the landscape called beauty, it is all in our mind. When we call a landscape beautiful, our assessment is actually in our mind, not physically in the landscape. Why is it that certain landscapes appeal to us? What is it about landscapes that convey attraction, beauty, interest, even love of a scene? Is there something inherent in the landscape that appeals or is it something in us which responds to the landscape? Does the appeal of landscapes lie before or behind our eyes?
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