Visual impact is a term used in the marketing industry to describe the effect that visual elements have on an audience. When used correctly, a company’s visual imagery can capture the attention of potential customers and help them move through the discovery phase of their buying journey.
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The process of creating a visual impact assessment is complex, often involving a range of federal, state, and local agencies and organizations with diverse interests and preferences. It can be challenging to communicate the potential benefits and impacts of a project’s design, especially when the anticipated change is large or controversial. A standardized Landscape Visual Assessment (LVIA) is a comprehensive, descriptive and illustrative document that captures the qualities of the existing environment and the proposed changes – including those that may be beneficial, neutral or adverse.
It is important to consider how a new project might alter or enhance scenic, picturesque, or heritage items in the landscape. A good LVIA will be able to clearly demonstrate how an anticipated change will affect the framing and accessibility of these views – for example, when an elevated building reveals previously obscured viewpoints or creates a new landmark in the skyline. Digital twins can provide a clear evaluation of these issues, simulating a proposal from any angle or perspective to reveal the impacts that might not be readily apparent in two-dimensional images and technical drawings.
The LVIA process can also involve identifying and evaluating existing natural features that are sensitive to the project’s impact. These features can be of high cultural significance or intrinsic beauty, such as a river, lake, wetlands, or vista. Identifying these features and working with stakeholders to develop mitigation strategies can improve a project’s environmental performance.
Mitigation strategies can include avoiding the impact – moving the project to avoid disturbing the site; minimizing the impact, such as adding design elements that make the disturbance less noticeable; or rectifying the impact, such as restoring the feature to its pre-project condition. A combination of these and other strategies is often necessary to achieve a successful project.
The effort of creating a VIA is substantial, but State DOTs can leverage it for future projects by compiling the results into a master Visual Quality Management Plan (VQMP). This will allow for the quick and effective identification of high-priority areas that need to be addressed in order to maintain or improve visual quality. This will help to speed up the permitting process and to reduce costly project delays associated with lengthy, drawn-out negotiations. This is particularly helpful when addressing multi-modal projects that will have significant impacts on the visual environment.
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