Approaches and Methods in Urban Aesthetics

The main purpose of this study is to introduce the different approaches and methods of urban aesthetics. The research method is comparative-analytical.This study indicates that there are four main approaches in urban aesthetics: the physical approach, the psychological approach, the expert approach and the public preference approach. The study introduces the techniques of each approach as well. The physical and expert approaches are similar in nature and are widely used in urban management methods. These two approaches can be used to convert the physical properties of urban landscapes to design parameters. The psychological and public preference approaches are also similar in nature and are widely used in substructure studies. The two can be used to understand the public’s perception of urban aesthetics and use the results to make decisions in planning urban design projects. The evaluation methods of these four approaches were analyzed in tow groups of expert preference (including descriptive, non- quantitative and quantitative lists) and public preference (including non- quantitative and quantitative lists and the index method). The evaluation techniques and tools have also been introduced for each evaluation method in this paper and thoroughly categorized. These techniques include direct and indirect ones appropriate for the four approaches in urban aesthetics.In general, the paper defines the framework of possible future studies in the field of urban aesthetics and helps researches choose the most appropriate approach in their studies.The aim of this paper is to introduce the different approaches and methods in urban aesthetics. The research method is analytical and comparative. It analyzes and compares different opinions in the field of urban aesthetics and its different techniques. Based on the conducted studies, four main approaches can be introduced in urban aesthetics: the physical approach, the psychological approach, the expert approach, and the public preference approach. This paper has carefully considered the methods for these approaches as well.The findings of the study showed that the public preferences and psychological approaches must be used as the main substructure approaches in urban aesthetics and the physical and expert approaches as complementary approaches.