TITLE:
Examination of Urban Landscape Aesthetics through Mapping Using Geotagged Social Media Data from Flickr
AUTHORS:
Wantong Zhao, Wei Han
KEYWORDS:
Landscape Aesthetics, Mapping, Social Media Data, Social Value
JOURNAL NAME:
Current Urban Studies,
Vol.9 No.1,
February
9,
2021
ABSTRACT: Landscapes
are part of the earth’s surface, and include terrestrial, aquatic, natural, and
anthropogenic features with differing dominance. The evaluation of Landscape
Aesthetics (LA) and scenery is helpful for the understanding landscapes. The
mapping of LA is increasingly being recognized in urban and landscape planning.
Examining the flow and capacity of LA is an essential element in understanding
the sustainability of urban landscapes. An explicit methodological approach was
proposed for mapping LA using social media data (geolocated photographs) from
Flickr to study the spatial distribution of LA in Xi’an, China. The LA flow and
LA capacity were conceptually distinguished and assessed. The LA flow was
analyzed with 10,278 geotagged photographs from Flickr to express people’s
actual appreciation of LA. The LA capacity was examined by spatial criterion
evaluation, combined the weight of landscape features. LA flow and LA capacity
differ in both spatial extent and quantity, although there was a spatially
explicit balance between them. The results show that LA flow largely occurs in
the urban core zone and that LA capacity is concentrated in certain parts of Xi’an
due to the imbalanced distribution of historical cultural heritage sites. This
research contributes to a better understanding of LA values and the
relationships between LA values and landscape characteristics. The results can
support the integration of cultural services in landscape planning and land use
policy.