An Exploratory Analysis of Expert and Nonexpert-Based Land-scape Aesthetics Evaluations: A Case Study from Wales

The debate over the conceptual constructs of landscape aesthetics, specifically whether quality is inherently related to physical characteristics or subjectively “in eye beholder,” has continued for years. Solutions accommodating both biophysical and perceptual aspects landscapes are thus desirable planners policymakers. In response policy shifts that emphasise expert public perspectives, this study investigates relationships between formal informal evaluations. It analyses crowdsourced data describing aesthetic (Scenic-Or-Not) authoritative assessments (the Landscape Assessment Decision Making Process (LANDMAP) Wales). Some agreement was found regarding landforms most likely be perceived as scenic unattractive by experts non-experts, which aligns with previous perception studies. However, contested typologies identified evaluations compared. Several limitations implications current assessment paradigms (GIS based vertical) discussed several approaches capturing on-the-ground perceptions suggested including recent extensions GIS derived viewsheds (e.g., vertical voxel viewsheds).