Design intensities in relation to visual aesthetic preference

Abstract Design intensity is defined as the amount of the original landscape changed and the degree of artificiality of added elements to the landscape by design. In spite of the significance for landscape design, it has been neglected for a long time by academic research. How does a designer choose an appropriate level of design intensity for a specific landscape to satisfy the users’ aesthetic preference? The answer is still unknown and important to research. This study explored the effects of three levels (low, moderate and high) of design intensity on visual aesthetic quality of two landscape types: natural and restored, using visual images as stimuli. The results indicated that, compared to the low or high level of design intensity, the moderate level not only led to a higher landscape quality, but also had a better marginal effect on promoting aesthetic preference. However the marginal effect was dependent on the landscape types: for the natural landscape, low design intensity had the highest marginal effect, with the original pictures’ quality having a non-significantly negative association to design intensity’s influence on visual aesthetic quality. The Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis which suggests a moderate level of disturbance leading to maximized biodiversity is used to explain the results. In design practice high design intensity should be abandoned.