The Interactive Effects of Water and Greenery on Landscape Preference in Historic Town

It has been proved that water and greenery can significantly improve the preference for landscape due to their natural and healing characteristics. However, most previous studies have focused on the independent effects of water or greenery instead of the interactive effects, which have created a gap between theoretical predictions and perceptions of reality. Therefore, this study was designed to quantify the interactive effects of water and greenery on landscape preference. The authors generated four sets of simulated pictures of both Western and Eastern historic townscapes by modifying real-world photos. The combination of “with” and “without” scenarios of water and also greenery was provided, while other landscape elements were kept the same. The pictures were evaluated by 68 participants. It was found that: (1) With greenery presented in initial pictures, the increased degree of landscape preference brought by adding water was significantly better than that without greenery. Similarly, the effects of adding greenery were also greater when water already existed. (2) Furthermore, when water and greenery were both presented in the picture, the increased degree of landscape preference was greater than the sum of the increased degree brought by only water and only greenery. (3) Similar results were shown by four sets of simulated pictures, although they had different cultural styles or spatial structures. When making improvement with a limited budget, the findings of this paper can help townscape planners make low-cost interventions by choosing strategic sites and adding effective elements based on existing landscape resources.