Visual Model and Impacts
The visual model assesses the impact of future development and
resulting landscape changes on visual quality. Survey results support
the observation that the visual quality of the landscape in the Loreto
region is a critical source of economic competitiveness for the area’s
tourism and real estate markets. The impacts of land use change are
measured using the visual preferences of local residents and visitors
as recorded in interviews carried out in the photographic survey. To
assess the consequences of future change on the visual landscape, a
model of visual quality is estimated using the results of a
photographic survey of residents and visitors (Figure 15).
Survey respondents were asked to order sixty photographs that
represent the existing landscape of the Loreto region according to
their scenic preferences. Ten of these sixty photographs in the survey
were altered to represent possible future developed conditions. The
sixty photographs in are shown on the following pages in order of
preference, from the highest rated to lowest rated, reading from upper
left, across, and down. (Figures 16 and 17).
The visual quality assessment is
implemented in four stages. First, the quality of the view from each
location is recorded by cross-referencing the type of view from each
location with the results of the visual survey. Four kinds of views
are rated the highest: undeveloped ocean, island, and mountain views,
and views in Loreto’s historic center. These views are then
identified, located, and assessed by a GIS-based model.
In the second stage of the visual assessment, the high-quality views
are weighted by their predicted exposure to residents and visitors;
the most visited and public views, such as those from the main
north-south highway, are given greater weight compared to high-quality
views that are, in effect, private. The third stage defines the areas
that constitute the viewshed for these locations. This delineates the
areas that are most deserving of visual protection, and the areas that
suffer the highest costs if the view is degraded. This process creates
a number of priority viewsheds that tend to fall along the north-south
highway as well as in coastal areas with good public access. The final
stage in the visual assessment is to assess the damage to the most
important viewsheds resulting from different types of future
development.
The impacts of visual models are reported by location. The model
considers both the degree of change and the visual value of the
impacted area. Two levels of impacts are reported, moderate and
severe. Figure 19 displays the extent and locations of visual impact
of the Plan Propuesta with a population of 120,000.
In order to compare the visual impacts
of the different Alternative Futures, the level of impacts is
summarized using a simple scoring method that totals the impact scores
for each location on the landscape. The results of the visual impact
assessment are summarized in Figure 20. (The scores have been
normalized; which means that the scores are based on a comparison with
the scores of the other scenarios. A lower score indicates a more
severe impact.)
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