Landmarks as Cultural Heritage Assets Affecting the Distribution of Settlements in Rural Areas—An Analysis Based on LIDAR DTM, Digital Photographs, and Historical Maps

Abstract

The final decision of the owner of the plot who plans to build a house depends on many factors most of which are of legal and financial nature. The authors demonstrate that the decisions regarding specific location within the plot of land are influenced by intangible components as well, namely the intention to have the best view. The view is often related to the occurrence of landmarks with prominent visual impact in the landscape that determine visual connections. The rural landscape is determined by the spatial arrangement including the buildings, the shape of public spaces, ownership divisions, and the land distribution. Being an element of rural cultural heritage, the arrangement of buildings is influenced by a vast number of factors such as geographical, historical, physical, and socio-economic ones. This article focuses on determining the interaction between the settlement locations and zones with an excellent, unique view of characteristic, well-known architectural landmarks. Mapping of viewsheds of many features is a critical element of the landscape planning process and facilitates the protection of cultural heritage assets. The analysis involved LiDAR DTM (Digital Terrain Model created in Light Detection and Ranging technology), digital photographs, and historical maps. In terms of the administrative subdivision, the area comprises 20 localities. The landmark visibility analysis for locations of the buildings covered a 140 km2 area of Carpathian Foothills in southern Poland. The article combines experiences in the field of landscape architecture, spatial planning and the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. The examples show that the modern development layout refers to the historical structure and the development of a new settlement tissue has a cultural background and is influenced by spatial landmarks.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the importance of urban green spaces to the public

“…The popularity of these sites among the respondents during the pandemic comes as no surprise. A simultaneous contact with nature and historical, cultural heritage promotes the sense of identity ( Prus et al, 2020 ) and offers a high-level aesthetic experience after a long quarantine period ( Hodor et al, 2021 ). Pérez-Urrestarazu et al (2021) believe that a higher frequency of visits and shorter distance to green spaces from home have positive psychological effects and build place attachment.…”

Assessment of the Cultural Heritage Potential in Poland

“…Cultural heritage components can be more or less spectacular. The top is the UNESCO World Heritage List with wayside shrines and local customs closing ranking lists [27]. Cultural heritage potential is built by cultural facilities such as museums, culture centres, community centres, clubs, or similar institutions, activities in performing arts, exhibitions, and culture and cultural heritage protection spendings.…”

Remote Sensing and GIS for Environmental Analysis and Cultural Heritage

“…In light of the characteristics and availability of remote-sensing data and the capabilities of GIS tools, this Special Issue proposes 20 different research projects focusing on the theory and practice of the application of modern technologies in environmental and cultural heritage studies (Figure 1). The environmental and cultural heritage studies published in the Special Issue focus mostly (in 25%) on the synergy of historical materials and modern data [12][13][14][15][16]. Historical maps of settlements and archaeological sites [12,16], economic and cadastral maps [15,16], and aerial orthophotos [13][14][15] digitised into rasters or point clouds underwent spatial analyses, usually together with LiDAR data.…”

“…Historical maps of settlements and archaeological sites [12,16], economic and cadastral maps [15,16], and aerial orthophotos [13][14][15] digitised into rasters or point clouds underwent spatial analyses, usually together with LiDAR data. Authors of papers on historical sites [12,15] and spatial development (of forest, rivers, etc.) [13,14,16] employed such digital photogrammetry tools as Canopy Height Model (CHM) from a point cloud [14], Photogrammetry Archive Point Cloud (PAPC) [13], and classification of the standard deviation (SD) of Topographic Position Index (TPI) for the mean elevation (DEV) [12].…”

“…In addition, 3D terrestrial laser scanning data were employed to define an original method for automatic detection of damage to continuous surfaces of engineering structures [17], coastal cliff stability analysis [19], or as a basis for determining the geometry of heritage underground structures as part of the development of a 3D cadastre [18]. Wide-range remote sensing projects The environmental and cultural heritage studies published in the Special Issue focus mostly (in 25%) on the synergy of historical materials and modern data [12][13][14][15][16]. Historical maps of settlements and archaeological sites [12,16], economic and cadastral maps [15,16], and aerial orthophotos [13][14][15] digitised into rasters or point clouds underwent spatial analyses, usually together with LiDAR data.…”