Assessing the visual landscape potential of coastal territories for spatial planning. A case study in the French Mediterranean

Mapping landscape visibility to reveal and measure the visual interactions between places within a territory is common practice today, especially in the context of visual impact studies. Maps of landscape visibility are also a powerful aid to considering development options and anticipating the future for territories that face a variety of challenges. On coasts, where landscape and views form part of the territorial resources, spatial planning particularly requires awareness of the visual properties of the space. Because of their attractiveness for residential and other types of development, coastal areas present management issues that often have a visual landscape dimension. This article proposes a method of characterizing the visual potential of coastal municipalities in the south of France, with a view to promoting consideration of landscape views in spatial planning. Developed in a GIS environment, this method defines the extent of the potentially visible landscape as well as the different landscape components of a municipality, which can then be compared to spatial planning data. Discussion of our results with stakeholders involved in local development revealed a positive perception and suggest that the approach could be extended to other coastal areas subject to urban pressure.