The landscape impact of agricultural sheds in rural UNESCO site: Public preferences and mitigation solutions

The mitigation process of agricultural sheds into the landscape is crucial for the aesthetic quality of its landscape and architectural integrity. The evaluation of how residents perceive these elements and identifying preferred solutions is crucial for landscape planning. For identifying sets of preferred mitigation solutions and defining shared criteria for landscape planning a representative sample of the population was investigated. We have estimated the willingness to pay for integrating contemporary agricultural sheds in a UNESCO landscape. Data were collected in six Core Zones of “Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato” (North-West Italy). Preferences toward different mitigation measures of the agricultural sheds were investigated using a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) method. The DCE survey was carried out through face-to-face interviews involving 400 residents. The set of mitigation attributes (colour of the walls, colour of the roof, green barriers and plant green walls) was selected by means of landscape analysis and presented to respondents using a set of images (close and distant views). Our study shows that the presence of green barriers (formal hedge and tree line) and the colour of the wall (green) are considered positive mitigation solutions. These attributes have a positive effect both in the close and the distant view. Our results confirmed that the distance may affect the visual impact of these buildings. Most of the respondents agree with the need to implement mitigation solutions for agricultural sheds, guaranteeing a better aesthetic enjoyment.