Visual preference survey
Encyclopedia
A visual preference survey is a technique for obtaining public feedback
on physical design alternatives. It is often used when designing zoning
codes, planning redevelopment
, and conducting urban planning
research.
The survey consists of a series of images that participants must score according to their preference. The images may be actual photographs or computer-simulated images depicting potential urban environments. The participants' input is then used to make decisions about the future built environment
.
This technique was developed by urban planner Anton Tony Nelessen in the late 1970s
, and it grew in popularity during the 1990s. The method has been criticized on the basis that lighting
, weather
, and background activities might influence preferences. In part this is corrected by using simulated imagery, but simulations themselves may be misleading when compared with actual photographs. Recent plans utilizing visual preference surveys include Denver, Topeka, New Castle
, and Orlando
.
For accurate results, a visual preference survey must adhere to sound research design: It must be specifically tailored to the community and location, generated after multiple discussions and field investigations and photographic reconnaissance, and address eight or more related categories of visual and spatial characteristics.
Effective visual preference surveys are precise in exploring which variables they are attempting to measure, whether it be street trees, bike lanes, crosswalks, or any number of proposed changes. Nelessen and other practitioners have addressed this issue through the use of simulated or manipulated imagery using Adobe Photoshop or any number image manipulation software. In practice, this may involve taking exactly the same picture, yet adding a single element to the second picture to gauge community reaction to a proposed change. For example, visual preference surveys for locations such as Topeka, Princeton
, and Journal Square
contain several such images - one untouched image contrasted with exactly the same picture except with a single new element added, such as pedestrians, a narrower street, a median with greenery or other design elements. In such instances, higher scores for the second, doctored image provide a more reliable gauge for the aesthetic preferences of a community.
Public participation
Public participation is a political principle or practice, and may also be recognised as a right . The terms public participation may be used interchangeably with the concept or practice of stakeholder engagement and/or popular participation.Generally public participation seeks and facilitates the...
on physical design alternatives. It is often used when designing zoning
Zoning
Zoning is a device of land use planning used by local governments in most developed countries. The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...
codes, planning redevelopment
Redevelopment
Redevelopment is any new construction on a site that has pre-existing uses.-Description:Variations on redevelopment include:* Urban infill on vacant parcels that have no existing activity but were previously developed, especially on Brownfield land, such as the redevelopment of an industrial site...
, and conducting urban planning
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
research.
The survey consists of a series of images that participants must score according to their preference. The images may be actual photographs or computer-simulated images depicting potential urban environments. The participants' input is then used to make decisions about the future built environment
Built environment
The term built environment refers to the human-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity, ranging in scale from personal shelter and buildings to neighborhoods and cities that can often include their supporting infrastructure, such as water supply or energy networks.The built...
.
This technique was developed by urban planner Anton Tony Nelessen in the late 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
, and it grew in popularity during the 1990s. The method has been criticized on the basis that lighting
Lighting
Lighting or illumination is the deliberate application of light to achieve some practical or aesthetic effect. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources such as lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight...
, weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
, and background activities might influence preferences. In part this is corrected by using simulated imagery, but simulations themselves may be misleading when compared with actual photographs. Recent plans utilizing visual preference surveys include Denver, Topeka, New Castle
New Castle, Colorado
The Town of New Castle is a Home Rule Municipality in Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,984 at the 2000 census.New Castle is the site of a mine fire that has been burning since 1899.-Geography:...
, and Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
.
Criticisms of Visual Preference Surveys
Visual Preference Surveys have been criticized for potentially eliciting inaccurate measurements of a communities preference. As planner Reid Ewing has noted http://www.geoearth.uncc.edu/people/iheard/3115Readings/TurningHighwaysMainStreets.pdf, “when you show citizens stark images of new suburban subdivisions or strip centers versus beautified images from America’s finest small towns, the outcome is predictable and largely meaningless.”For accurate results, a visual preference survey must adhere to sound research design: It must be specifically tailored to the community and location, generated after multiple discussions and field investigations and photographic reconnaissance, and address eight or more related categories of visual and spatial characteristics.
Effective visual preference surveys are precise in exploring which variables they are attempting to measure, whether it be street trees, bike lanes, crosswalks, or any number of proposed changes. Nelessen and other practitioners have addressed this issue through the use of simulated or manipulated imagery using Adobe Photoshop or any number image manipulation software. In practice, this may involve taking exactly the same picture, yet adding a single element to the second picture to gauge community reaction to a proposed change. For example, visual preference surveys for locations such as Topeka, Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, and Journal Square
Journal Square
Journal Square is a business district, residential area, and transportation hub in Jersey City, New Jersey, which takes its name from the newspaper Jersey Journal whose headquarters are located there. The "square" itself is at the intersection of Kennedy Boulevard and Bergen Avenues...
contain several such images - one untouched image contrasted with exactly the same picture except with a single new element added, such as pedestrians, a narrower street, a median with greenery or other design elements. In such instances, higher scores for the second, doctored image provide a more reliable gauge for the aesthetic preferences of a community.