Preferences for view corridors through the urban environment

Cities with characteristic natural settings are facing the question of how to promote development while preserving views of the natural amenity. The size, shape and number of view corridors have been regulated while the view amenity policy preferred by the general public was largely unknown. This study explores public preference for urban views of a natural amenity using drawings. It was found that preserving a limited number of view corridors while restricting building height was preferred over policies for uniformly low buildings or for taller buildings with multiple views. These results do not agree with some recent recommendations of planners.