Landscape Planning of Infrastructure through Focus Points’ Clustering Analysis. Case Study: Plastiras Artificial Lake (Greece)
Even though landscape quality is largely a subjective issue, the integration of infrastructure into landscapes has been identified as a key element of sustainability. In a spatial planning context, the landscape impacts that are generated by infrastructures are commonly quantified through visibility...
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doaj-bc27ff51e34a404f86994b21dba9c7842021-01-18T00:01:31ZengMDPI AGInfrastructures2412-38112021-01-016121210.3390/infrastructures6010012Landscape Planning of Infrastructure through Focus Points’ Clustering Analysis. Case Study: Plastiras Artificial Lake (Greece)G.-Fivos Sargentis0Romanos Ioannidis1Theano Iliopoulou2Panayiotis Dimitriadis3Demetris Koutsoyiannis4Laboratory of Hydrology and Water Resources Development, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechneiou 9, 15780 Zographou, GreeceLaboratory of Hydrology and Water Resources Development, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechneiou 9, 15780 Zographou, GreeceLaboratory of Hydrology and Water Resources Development, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechneiou 9, 15780 Zographou, GreeceLaboratory of Hydrology and Water Resources Development, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechneiou 9, 15780 Zographou, GreeceLaboratory of Hydrology and Water Resources Development, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechneiou 9, 15780 Zographou, GreeceEven though landscape quality is largely a subjective issue, the integration of infrastructure into landscapes has been identified as a key element of sustainability. In a spatial planning context, the landscape impacts that are generated by infrastructures are commonly quantified through visibility analysis. In this study, we develop a new method of visibility analysis and apply it in a case study of a reservoir (Plastiras dam in Greece). The methodology combines common visibility analysis with a stochastic tool for visual-impacts evaluation; points that generate high visual contrasts in landscapes are considered Focus Points (FPs) and their clustering in landscapes is analyzed trying to answer two questions: (1) How does the clustering of Focus Points (FPs) impact the aesthetic value of the landscape? (2) How can the visual impacts of these FPs be evaluated? Visual clustering is calculated utilizing a stochastic analysis of generated Zones of Theoretical Visibility. Based on the results, we argue that if the visual effect of groups of FPs is positive, then the optimal sitting of FPs should be in the direction of faint clustering, whereas if the effect is negative, the optimal sitting of FPs should be directed to intense clustering. In order to optimize the landscape integration of infrastructure, this method could be a useful analytical tool for environmental impact assessment or a monitoring tool for a project’s managing authorities. This is demonstrated through the case study of Plastiras’ reservoir, where the clustering of positively perceived FPs is found to be an overlooked attribute of its perception as a highly sustainable infrastructure project.https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/6/1/12landscape aestheticaesthetic evaluationstochastic analysis |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
G.-Fivos Sargentis Romanos Ioannidis Theano Iliopoulou Panayiotis Dimitriadis Demetris Koutsoyiannis |
spellingShingle |
G.-Fivos Sargentis Romanos Ioannidis Theano Iliopoulou Panayiotis Dimitriadis Demetris Koutsoyiannis Landscape Planning of Infrastructure through Focus Points’ Clustering Analysis. Case Study: Plastiras Artificial Lake (Greece) Infrastructures landscape aesthetic aesthetic evaluation stochastic analysis |
author_facet |
G.-Fivos Sargentis Romanos Ioannidis Theano Iliopoulou Panayiotis Dimitriadis Demetris Koutsoyiannis |
author_sort |
G.-Fivos Sargentis |
title |
Landscape Planning of Infrastructure through Focus Points’ Clustering Analysis. Case Study: Plastiras Artificial Lake (Greece) |
title_short |
Landscape Planning of Infrastructure through Focus Points’ Clustering Analysis. Case Study: Plastiras Artificial Lake (Greece) |
title_full |
Landscape Planning of Infrastructure through Focus Points’ Clustering Analysis. Case Study: Plastiras Artificial Lake (Greece) |
title_fullStr |
Landscape Planning of Infrastructure through Focus Points’ Clustering Analysis. Case Study: Plastiras Artificial Lake (Greece) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Landscape Planning of Infrastructure through Focus Points’ Clustering Analysis. Case Study: Plastiras Artificial Lake (Greece) |
title_sort |
landscape planning of infrastructure through focus points’ clustering analysis. case study: plastiras artificial lake (greece) |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Infrastructures |
issn |
2412-3811 |
publishDate |
2021-01-01 |
description |
Even though landscape quality is largely a subjective issue, the integration of infrastructure into landscapes has been identified as a key element of sustainability. In a spatial planning context, the landscape impacts that are generated by infrastructures are commonly quantified through visibility analysis. In this study, we develop a new method of visibility analysis and apply it in a case study of a reservoir (Plastiras dam in Greece). The methodology combines common visibility analysis with a stochastic tool for visual-impacts evaluation; points that generate high visual contrasts in landscapes are considered Focus Points (FPs) and their clustering in landscapes is analyzed trying to answer two questions: (1) How does the clustering of Focus Points (FPs) impact the aesthetic value of the landscape? (2) How can the visual impacts of these FPs be evaluated? Visual clustering is calculated utilizing a stochastic analysis of generated Zones of Theoretical Visibility. Based on the results, we argue that if the visual effect of groups of FPs is positive, then the optimal sitting of FPs should be in the direction of faint clustering, whereas if the effect is negative, the optimal sitting of FPs should be directed to intense clustering. In order to optimize the landscape integration of infrastructure, this method could be a useful analytical tool for environmental impact assessment or a monitoring tool for a project’s managing authorities. This is demonstrated through the case study of Plastiras’ reservoir, where the clustering of positively perceived FPs is found to be an overlooked attribute of its perception as a highly sustainable infrastructure project. |
topic |
landscape aesthetic aesthetic evaluation stochastic analysis |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/6/1/12 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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