VOL.6, NO.1
A STUDY ON THE RECREATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ATTRIBUTES OF URBAN GREENWAYS
-- A CASE STUDY ON JING-GUO PARKWAY IN TAICHUNG CITY
Hsiao-Lin Wang, Sin-Chi Chen
Urban greenway is a kind of resource with high recreational potential in urban environment. Recently, research on urban greenway has focused on the examination of the role of ecosystem and its planning, Less consideration was taken on the recreational function of greenway in a city. Therefore, the study tried to discuss the relationship between recreational activity and environmental attributes of urban greenway. On-site structured questionnaires were surveyed at Jing-Guo Parkway to understand their recreational activity characteristic, greenway's users, and satisfaction on environmental attributes. The recognitions on the factors of environmental attributes, which the user evolved with recreational activity were also examinated. There are 398 usable questionnaires.
After using Factor analysis to analyze 15 variables, four factors of environmental attributes of users involving with recreational activity were generated. These four factors are: nature landscape, social needs, physical space, and spatial continuity. The findings were sunmarized as follows: 1.There are significant relationships between recreational characteristics and living area of urban greenway users. 2.Users of urban greenway who have different recreational characteristics have different satisfaction of environmental attributes. 3.Users of urban greenway who evolved with recreational activity have differ- ent recreational characteristics holding different factors of environmental attributes. 4.Users of urban greenway who evolved with recreational activity have different factors of environmental attributes holding different satisfaction of environmental attributes.
INVESTIGATION OF LANDSCAPE PREFERENCES ALONG SUN-YI-SEN HIGHWAY
Su-Hsin Lee
A beautiful scene not only diverts travelers' mood but also enables them to understand the environment along roadsides. The section of investigated road was from the Taichung Harbor to Kang- Sen interchange of Sun-Yi-Sen Highway. By reviewing the references of environmental perception, environmental preference, and visual assessment, we conducted the research method. Firstly, the types of the landuse along Sun-Yi-Sen Highway were extracted by factor analysis, there were eight types: farmland, artificial facilities, low-density residence, high-density residence, factories, landmarks, and cultivated plants. Legibility, complexity, coherence and mystery were sclected as four evaluated criteria. Then the processes of perception of travelers toward the landuse types along roadsides and the difference of landscape preference due to the different socio-demographic backgrounds of users were analyzed. The results of this investigation show: (I)the more natural landscape is the more attracted to traveler, (2)the evaluated criteria reveal complex relationships among the preference and landuse types. The farmland has a great difference with the other landuse types. (3)The socio-demographic variables have less predictive ability than psychological evaluated variables. There are suggestions provided to the land use management along the Sun-Yi-Sen Highway and the considerations of road-line selection.
PEDESTRIAN'S PERCEPTION ON THE INTERFACE PATTERNS OF CITY SIDEWALK
Chun-Chieh Huang, Yann-Jou Lin
The purpose of this study was to investigate pedestrian's perceptions of sidewalk elements and interface patterns, and to explore the relationship between environmental characters and pedestrian's perceptions. First, this study investigated the physical attributes of sidewalk, and then used visual simulation technology to produce 48 streetscape slides. Second, the study asked participants to evaluate the perceptions of the streetscape. The results indicated that when the sidewalk was located nearby the greenbelt, the participants would receive the most positive perception and preference. The street trees, wide pavement, shrink the building, arcade without post, planted some plants before building, the wall with higher visual penetration and plants behind the wall had positive influences on pedestrian's perceptions and preference. Street trees, pavements and others sidewalk elements had interactive influence on pedestrian's perceptions and preference. Escape, interest and pleasure were three significant predictors of the streetscape preference model.
PUBLIC PREFERENCES TOWARD LANDSCAPE DESIGN OF URBAN WATERFRONT
Su-Hsin Lee, Jing-Shoung Hou, Yun-Ju Chen
The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between urban waterfront and public preference and provide recommendation for the planning and management of urban river. This research selected the Fa-Tzi River in Taichung city as the site for case study. The whole river was classified into five categories according to the degree of development of surrounding areas, which are low-development rural, mid-development rural, high-development rural, town, and urban river types. By using landscape simulation, the five types of river were represented three constructed methods, engineering, ecological, and recreational approaches, and including existing status, 20 photos were shown to the residents for investigating the preference of waterfront in Taichung city.
The result revealed that the interdependence of river types and constructed methods had a significant influence on the public's preference. In low-development rural area, the ecological construction approach was the most preferred, while in mid-development rural area, people preferred the existing river status, and in high-development rural area, the recreational approach was preferred. The ecological approach in town river and recreational approach in urban river were preferred independently. The classification of constructed approaches concerning both natural and social environment can be adapted to the design and management for specific characteristics of urban waterfront. A further more guidelines and suggestions for the physical planning in responsive of public's preference were also proposed.
A STUDY OF LANDSCAPE PREFERENCE PATTERNS
--USING EYE-TRACKING TECHNOLOGY
Su-Hsin Lee, Ying-Chi Ho
As science and technology progress, environmental designers and planers not only build landscape preference model by the variety of landscape elements and cognition factors but also use advanced biofeedback instruments to explore the function of the landscape and the observers' physiology reaction. This study selected Huisun Experimental Forestry as case study, and classified visual landscape zones by considering environmental perception, environmental preference and related theories. Using eye-tracking and questionnaires to detect observers' visual focus and measure preference score. Visual focuses of observation time, area and perimeter of each landscape element were analyzed via Mapinfo and Visual Basic software. The results suggested the regression model of area had the highest predictive ability, followed by perimeter model and observation time model was the least. The longer observation time of vegetation zones was, the higher preference score was. Whenever the non- vegetation objects merged in immediate and intermediate zones, there was a negative effect. In the perminter model, the more integrated and non-seperated shape of landscape zones, the higher preference score was. Water zone, perimeter of intermediate nonvegetation, observation time of immediate nonvegetation, observation time of sky, and observation time of intermediate vegetation can be used as the landscape preference predicted factors. This study suggests the application of eye-tracking technology is worthy for advanced research instrument which are associated with landscape preference.
EVALUATING THE LANDSCAPE ESTHETICS OF TAIPEI NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS
Yann-Jou Lin
The psychophysical model is the most widely used landscape preference predictive mod- els. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the landscape esthetics of neighborhood parks with the psychophysical model. The author selected fifty-four neighborhood parks from Taipei city as cases for this study. We took six color slides and photographs from each park. These slides or photographs were used as medium for measuring the landscape esthetics of parks by the Scenic Beauty Estimation method (SBE). Two sets of psychophysical models were developed. The dependent variables of these models were the scenic estimates of parks that were measured by three groups of respondents -- university students, neighborhood park users, and Da-An park users. The values of physical landscape attributes measured on-site and measured from the photographs were two sets of explanatory variables for the psychophysical models. The findings of this study are summarized as follows: 1. As the predictive capabilities, the psychophysical models calibrated from the variables measured by photographs have higher predictive capabilities. 2. The physical attributes of park do affect users perceived park landscape esthetics. However, the attributes affecting landscape esthetics are different for different user groups. Keywords: Neighborhood park, Psychophysical model, Scenic Beauty Estimation method, Scenic beauty estimates, Preference
A STUDY OF USING PATCH SHAPE AS ANEVALUATION TOOL FOR THE RURAL PARK
Chung-Yen Chang
This study is why patch shape is an evaluation tool for the rural park by applying the theory of landscape ecology. By the definition of Iandscape ecology, the parks were defined as a patch. With the definition of the park, five quantitative indicators were applied for evaluation purpose. The elongation, the compactness, the shoreline development, the circularity, and the ellipticity were calculated for further discussion. The testing sites were located on the eastern hillside of Taichung basin. The 1/25000 Economic-con- struction Map was used to draw the landscape ecology map. The landscape ecology map was then checked with the 1/5000 aerial photography map and the on-site investigation. Alternative ofbypotheti- cal park projects were evaluated with the proposed five indicators. The final purpose of this study was to apply the quantitative relationships of landscape ecology to discuss the relationships between ecology and land use and to maximize the ecological effect of parks. On this basis, depict the function of using parkland to promote a sustainable living environment.
ORNAMENTAL GRASSES FOR TAIWAN
Tzu-FenLi, Yu-Jen Kuo
Native ornamental grasses are a neglected group of plants. Although we see them daily on mountain areas, and along roadsides. How many of us really notice them? If we pay more attention to the appearance and growth habit of ornamental grasses, we will find that some grasses are truly ornamental and can use on landscape and many other purposes. Ornamental grasses are popular used in America, Europe, and Japan, because of the environmental concern in these years in the world. Using native ornamental grasses in the landscape design is a kind of symptom of environmental protection. However, we are very ignore about them in Taiwan.
To collect and to evaluate the potential of grasses for ornamental purpose and landscape use is the objective of our study. We are also trying to select, to plant, and to maintain grasses which are native or acclimated in Taiwan for many years in the landscape, and identify each grass for their most appropriate setting for landscape.
The criteria we will use to evaluate these ornamental grass species will include to parts which are genetic characteristics and ornamental characteristics (growth habit, flower appearance, flowering period, foliage color, seasonal interest, etc.), invasiveness, tolerance to landscape settings, and environmental preferences, Sixteen grass species are selected through this research, including Buffalograss, Buffelgrass, Chinese fountaingrass, Cogongrass, Elephantgrass, Giant chinese silvergrass, Guineagrass, Pigeongrass, Rhodesgrass, Stargrass, Swollen fingergrass, Molassesgrass, Tufted hairgrass, Weeping lovegrass, and Wild sugarcane, through the success of this research, we hope that we can provide more native ornamental grasses in Taiwan in the future.