A Study on the Quantitative Analysis and Description of Landscape Character

Abstract

The objective of this study is to attempt a quantitative analysis and description of landscape character, which makes it possible to express landscape effects in objective terms and to rationalize the uses of scenic resources by providing the basic materials for natural park planning. Recently there has been a growing interest in recreation, conservation, open space, and a myriad of other ways to improve the quality of environment. The landscape aesthetics, which is an important element of the quality of environment, however, has been described only in subjective artistic terms. Where there is an apparent harmony or unity among all the natural elements, it might be said that they possess a naturally produced landscape character. The total reaction which the perception of landscape may have upon a man is called landscape effects. However the whole matter of landscape effects appear as a matter of taste and is individual to the same extent that taste is individual. Therefore, it is necessary to seperate facts from emotions in relation to landscape and to make a means of quantifying landscape character to describe it objectively. II. The Method of Landscape Analysis

This study is indebted to L. B. Leopold's landscape analysis technique. The method is composed of three phases. First, survey or measure the factors in the field which constitute and/or influence the landscape effects and compare these factors, and quantify the degree of differences among sites to describe the uniqueness of landscape effects of each site. Second, choose cheklist factors for their particular significance with regard to the landscape effects to the viewer, to get the scale of valley character, scale of river character and scale of landscape character graphically. Finally, compare and interpret these results among each sites chosen for comparison. In this study this technique IS applied to the landscape character of the Inner-Seolag(內雪獄) Mt. Valley.