ABSTRACT
There has long been uncertainty about whether the basis for landscape evaluation should be subjective or objective (Appleton 1975; Gilg 1975; Clamp 1976; 1981; Jacques 1980; Dearden 1981; Aoki 1999). In particular, in the 1960s a vigorous debate was initiated between those who favoured a “holistic” approach to quantitative landscape evaluation – generally identified with the subjective philosophy – and those who preferred a “components” approach – usually interpreted as objective in orientation. The holistic philosophy was most popularly characterised by the system of the planner, K.D. Fines (1968): he devised a scoring system to help identify the least damaging visual corridor for an electricity transmission line through the South Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in south-east England (see Table 3.1).
