Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) can be key to planning decisions by identifying the effects of new developments on views and on the landscape itself. This fully revised edition of the industry standard work on LVIA presents an authoritative statement of the principles of assessment. Offering detailed advice on the process of assessing the landscape and visual effects of developments and their significance, it also includes a new expanded chapter on cumulative effects and updated guidance on presentation. Written by professionals for professionals, the third edition of this widely respected text provides an essential tool for landscape practitioners, developers, legal advisors and decision-makers.

"TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 741: Evaluation of Methodologies for Visual Impact Assessments evaluates visual impact assessment (VIA) procedures, methods, and practices that satisfy or exceed National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other requirements. The report documents VIA methodologies and approaches used in the United States and other countries, describes the decision making framework used to select specific VIA techniques for a given project, includes VIA best practice case studies from state departments of transportation, and highlights promising new developments in the field."--pub. desc.

In development projects where visual concerns are identified, visual impact assessment (VIA) is an important and necessary part of environmental impact assessment (EIA). This study involved post-project analysis of three projects for which EIA, including a visual impact component, was carried out. For each case, written documentation, photographs, and computer-generated simulations were reviewed, and interviews with key people and site visits were conducted to collect relevant information. Using this information, each case was analyzed according to four criteria relating to the VIA methods and procedures used, the accuracy of visual predictions made, the effectiveness of visual mitigation measures implemented, and the clarity and completeness of project documentation.