Analysis of visibility in the assessment of the environmental impact of new constructions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/ic.09.014Keywords:
visibility, planning, GIS, Capacity, ImpactAbstract
Nowadays there is a need to take account of the ecological balance in urban development, and to adopt a type of urban planning which is spread over a broad territorial base in order to control the localisation and regulation of uses and activities. In view of this requirement, the objective of the work described in the present article is to propose locations for nine low-density urban areas in the surroundings of the Corredor del Henares in Guadalajara (Spain). One of the most significant components of the capacity and impact models designed for this purpose is the visual quality of the landscape, which is based on an exhaustive study of the visibility of the territory. The object of analysing the visibility is to determine which areas can be seen from each point or set of points, either simultaneously or in sequence, in order to assess the degree to which each area contributes to the perception of the landscape, and to obtain certain global parameters which allow a territory to be characterised in visual terms. By extension of this objective, the aim of the work is to contribute to the field of visibility studies by designing a visibility model which is subsequently programmed and implemented in GIS (Geographical Information System). We describe the process used to perform this task, with particular emphasis on the difficulties which arose and how they were resolved. The visibility analysis we developed was an important element both in the model for the capacity of acceptance of the activity, and in the model for assessing the possible impact of the activity on the environment. The construction of a visibility model allows an objective assessment of the visibility of the territory from all the points of interest.
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