Identifying the Most Important Criteria Affecting Landscape Visual Quality

In general, landscape studies, conducted based on aesthetic criteria, do not seek to determine the aesthetic value but seek to extract aesthetic preferences of users. These studies have been performed in two different approaches. The first approach is based on measurable objective criteria and surveying the interaction between these criteria and the second one is based on recognition of the conceptual criteria from the point of observers view. The aim of this study is to identify the most important criteria affecting the landscape visual quality.
In this study, objective and subjective criteria of Ziarat basin, where is one of the tourism poles of Golestan province, were prioritized from the point of aesthetic value using the second approach. A questionnaire was developed and distributed among 100 visitors. Data obtained from the questionnaires were analyzed by SPSS software and the criteria were prioritized using ordinal classification.
From total of 23 objective and subjective criteria which were surveyed in this study, the first 5 criteria with the highest score were: pristine area, cleanliness of environment, waterfall visibility, visibility of diverse point and color diversity of a landscape. These 5 criteria could be introduced as the most effective criteria on scenic value of the study area.
The subjective criteria introduced in this study could be used as a perfect series of effective criteria which affect the perception of visitors in the other regions too; however, selection of objective criteria for evaluating the visual quality would be different according to geographical location, climatic and topographic characteristics of the area.