Landscape Character and Quality Assessment Through Map-Based Visibility Indicators: A Case Study in Western Crete, Greece

Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) is increasingly used to support landscape-sensitive planning; however, existing approaches often lack an operational integration of visual perception and map-based indicators, particularly in complex Mediterranean island contexts. This study demonstrates a methodology for integrated landscape character and quality assessment, combining landform and landcover mapping with map-based visibility indicators derived from the local road network. The approach was applied to the Platanos community in western Crete, a representative Mediterranean landscape of contrasting coastal resort zones, agricultural lowlands, and cultural heritage sites. The methodology followed three stages: desk-based mapping of Land Description Units (LDUs) using landform and landcover data, field surveys to define Landscape Character Types (LCTs) and assess socio-cultural and perceptual attributes, and GIS-based visibility analysis from 18 road observation points. Six visual indicators (connectivity, complexity, naturalness, disturbance, historicity, and visual scale) were calculated to quantify spatial and perceptual characteristics. Results revealed a spatial division between a core northern area of high visual scale, cultural importance, but also disturbance, and a southern area of greater naturalness but lower visual openness and cultural visibility. These results highlight that high landscape quality is not solely associated with naturalness, but emerges from the interaction between physical structure, cultural elements, and visual perception. The findings underscore the complementary value of combining physical, cultural, and perception-based metrics in LCA. The proposed framework offers a reproducible tool for evidence-based landscape planning and heritage-sensitive development in accordance with the principles of the European Landscape Convention (ELC).