Aesthetic Evaluation of Urban Landscapes of the City of Vidnoe

Landscape aesthetics is a kind of natural resource valued for the purposes of supporting residents’ mental comfort and proper rest. The visual appearance of an urban landscape is determined by the results of urban planning and design. The article presents an integral aesthetic evaluation of urban landscapes. The analysis is performed on a model study area: the city of Vidnoye, characterized by high urbanization rates and significant visual contrast. The relevance of the research topic is based on the fact that in recent years the city has been experiencing a tendency of deterioration of its visual environment due to large-scale high-rise construction, increasing number of cars, significant reduction of green spaces, and environmental pollution. The study determines the influence of the aesthetic component of the environment on residents, investigates the existing methods of ecological and aesthetic landscape analysis, and performs a visual assessment of Vidnoye by analyzing its structural components (composition) followed by compiling overall assessments, and additionally by using GIS methods. Measures that can be taken to improve the environmental and aesthetic condition of the city are proposed. The article presents a methodology of the aesthetic evaluation procedure, provides criteria, and identifies evaluation indicators that are based on the subtle influence of the visual urban environment on residents’ mental health. It is concluded that aesthetic properties of urban landscapes can be improved by applying an environmentally conscious urban planning approach, which involves incorporation of urban objects and the city as a whole into natural landscapes, pursuing an environmentally conscious urban planning balance, and creating integrated environmentally conscious urban planning structures.