Environmental Impact Research Program: Visual Resources Assessment Procedure for US Army Corps of Engineers

This report documents the Visual Resources Assessment Procedure (VRAP) for the US Army Corps of Engineers. The VRAP is a systematic method to (1) evaluate and classify existing aesthetic or visual quality; (2) assess and measure visual impacts caused by Corps water resource projects; (3) evaluate th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Henderson, Jim E, Peyman-Dove, Linda D, Smardom, Richard C, Palmer, James F, Knopt, Alfred, Grinde, Kate
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
CLASSIFICATION
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
ENVIRONMENTS
HUMAN RELATIONS
LAND USE
MANAGEMENT PLANNING AND CONTROL
OPTICAL IMAGES
PLANNING
POLICIES
QUALITY
RESOURCES
Sociology and Law
TRACTABLE
USER NEEDS
VEGETATION
Water Pollution and Control
WATER RESOURCES
WATER TREATMENT
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Summary:This report documents the Visual Resources Assessment Procedure (VRAP) for the US Army Corps of Engineers. The VRAP is a systematic method to (1) evaluate and classify existing aesthetic or visual quality; (2) assess and measure visual impacts caused by Corps water resource projects; (3) evaluate the beneficial or adverse nature of the visual impacts; and (4) make recommendations for changes in plans, designs, and operations of water resource projects. The VRAP was developed to provide planners with a systematic, tractable method for incorporating aesthetic considerations in Corps planning studies. As such, the VRAP is consistent with existing Federal and Corps water resources planning and environmental policies and regulations. The VRAP uses changes in visual resources to measure and evaluate the visual impacts caused by a Corps project. The visual resources considered are water resources, landform, vegetation, land use, and user activities. The VRAP is composed of two parts, the Management Classification System (MCS) and the Visual Impact Assessment (VIA) Procedures. The MCS establishes an Assessment Framework for a project area and sets the visual resource criteria that are used throughout the visual assessment. Keywords: Aesthetics, Aesthetic impacts, Aesthetic quality, Environmental impacts, Environmental management, Environmental planning, Master planning, Scenic quality, Visual impacts, Visual quality, Water resources planning, Human relations. Prepared in collaboration with State Univ. of New York, Syracuse.