Enhancing the visual landscape harmony in public open spaces: Sana’a city case study

<p>Increasing the visual image quality of public spaces helps enhance the quality of people’s lives. Although previous literature has discussed many of the principles and criteria of the visual design of open environments, architects, landscape architects, and urban designers still face difficulties in defining the most important visual design principles that enhance the Visual Landscape Harmony. This study examined the principles of the visual design of open spaces and their impact on creating a harmonious visual image and raising the quality of the visual landscape. The study mainly used the principles of visual design referred to by Bell. A visual survey analysis of four public spaces in Sana’a city in Yemen was carried out. The study also examined how the selected spaces meet the principles of visual design and their impact on raising the visual quality. Results indicated that the hierarchy, enclosure, figure and ground, diversity in elements, diversity in scales, homogeneous balance of 3D composition, and unique design of the space are the most contributing factors in creating visual harmony and enhancing the quality of the visual image. These principles can help architects, landscape architects, and urban designers and developers to make appropriate design decisions that can produce visual landscape images of open spaces, thus, enhancing the quality of the visual image and the efficiency of urban spaces and open areas.</p>