Pacific Southwest

Title: Visual unit analysis: a descriptive approach to landscape assessment

Author: Tetlow, R. J.; Sheppard, S. R. J.

Date: 1979

Source: In: Elsner, Gary H., and Richard C. Smardon, technical coordinators. 1979. Proceedings of our national landscape: a conference on applied techniques for analysis and management of the visual resource [Incline Village, Nev., April 23-25, 1979]. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-35. Berkeley, CA. Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Exp. Stn., Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture: p. 117-124

Station ID: GTR-PSW-035

Description: Analysis of the visible attributes of landscapes is an important component of the planning process. When landscapes are at regional scale, economical and effective methodologies are critical. The Visual Unit concept appears to offer a logical and useful framework for description and evaluation. The concept subdivides landscape into coherent, spatially-defined units.

This study extends that concept by developing methods for consistent mapping and analysis based on available topographic data and aerial photo-graphs, supplemented by field checks. This approach to describing scenic distinction, supplemented by graphic displays, permits comparison of visual attributes for the landscape units in a study area, supporting planning and design.

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Citation

Tetlow, R. J.; Sheppard, S. R. J.  1979.  Visual unit analysis: a descriptive approach to landscape assessment.   In: Elsner, Gary H., and Richard C. Smardon, technical coordinators. 1979. Proceedings of our national landscape: a conference on applied techniques for analysis and management of the visual resource [Incline Village, Nev., April 23-25, 1979]. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-35. Berkeley, CA. Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Exp. Stn., Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture: p. 117-124.