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SCENIC VIEWS
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GOAL
Feature National Scenic Byways Program (NSBP) values in a roadway. CREDIT REQUIREMENTS
1-2 POINTS
EITHER requirement may be met for credit. 1 Point: Any portion of the project is part of the National Scenic Byways Program (NSBP) (http://www.byways.org) meaning it has been designated as one of America’s Byways® (National Scenic Byway or All‐American Road), a State Scenic Byway, or an Indian Tribe Scenic Byway because of its scenic, natural, and/or recreational qualities. OR 2 Points: Provide at least one access from the project to a designated area for vehicles to exit the traffic stream, stop and experience scenic, natural or recreational features along the roadway. These areas may be scenic viewpoints or overlooks, welcome centers, tourist activities or information centers or recreation areas. They must be identified with signage conforming to 23 CFR 655 (the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, current revision) Part 2 – Signs. Details
The NSBP is a broad program that captures many roadway qualities. These can best be categorized as scenic, historical, cultural, natural, recreational and archeological. This credit covers scenic, natural and recreational qualities. Credit AE‐9 Cultural Outreach covers historical, cultural and archeological features. DOCUMENTATION
If a scenic route designation is used to satisfy this credit, provide documentation of national, State, or Indian tribe designation. Also provide a picture of the route that best captures its scenery or other important features. OR If a roadside access point is used to satisfy this credit, indicate in the submitted plans and specifications where the viewpoint or overlook is drawn and specified. Also provide a picture of the access point and a picture of the related attraction. AE-8
Scenic Views
RELATED CREDITS
 PR‐11 Educational Outreach  AE‐3 Context Sensitive Solutions  AE‐9 Cultural Outreach SUSTAINABILITY
COMPONENTS
 Ecology  Equity  Exposure BENEFITS
 Increases Awareness
 Increases Aesthetics Access & Equity
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APPROACHES & STRATEGIES
 Work through formal channels to have a roadway or portion of roadway designated as a National Scenic Byway, an All‐American Road, a State scenic byway, or and Indian Tribe scenic byway.. This can be done through the National Scenic Byways Program or through a State or Indian Tribe program that formally recognizes scenic roadways.  Provide locations, such as viewpoints or pullouts, where drivers can stop to enjoy a scenic, historic, cultural, natural, recreational, or archaeological feature of the roadway area.  For America’s Byways® and State designated byways, apply for a grant with the NBSP to enhance one of the above qualities. Example: National Scenic Byways Program
The National Scenic Byways Program (NSBP), part of the Federal Highway Administration, has a mission to “…provide resources to the byway community in creating a unique travel experience and enhanced local quality of life through efforts to preserve, protect, interpret, and promote the intrinsic qualities of designated byways.” (NSBP, 2009). The program formally recognizes certain roads for their archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities. To become an official “Byway” (the overarching term the NSBP uses to describe these roads) a roadway must be nominated (the nomination can originate from any person or organization) through a detailed process. The NSBP defines six intrinsic roadway qualities that a roadway can possess. National Scenic Byways possess “characteristics or regional significance” in at least one of these intrinsic qualities, while All‐American Roads possess “characteristics of national significance” in at least two of these intrinsic qualities (NSBP, 2009). The six intrinsic qualities are (paraphrased from NSBP, 2009):  Archaeological. Physical evidence of historic or prehistoric human life or activity that is visible and capable of being inventoried and interpreted.  Cultural. Evidence and expressions of the customs or traditions of a distinct group of people.  Historic. Legacies of the past that are distinctly associated with physical elements of the landscape, whether natural or manmade, that are of such historic significance that they educate the viewer and stir an appreciation for the past.  Natural. Those features in the visual environment that are in a relatively undisturbed state. These features predate the arrival of human populations and may include geological formations, fossils, landform, water bodies, vegetation, and wildlife.  Recreational. Outdoor recreational activities directly association with and dependent upon the natural and cultural elements of the corridor's landscape. They provide opportunities for active and passive recreational experiences.  Scenic. Heightened visual experience derived from the view of natural and manmade elements of the visual environment of the scenic byway corridor. Figure AE‐8.1 shows a map of registered National Scenic Byways and All‐American Roads in the U.S. as classified by the NSBP. The NSBP website gives maps and locations for Byways (Figure AE‐8.2) that can be used to determine if a particular project encompasses part of one. Scenic Views
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Figure AE‐8.1: United States Scenic Byways. (NSBP, 2009). Figure AE‐8.2: An example of the maps available at the NSBP website (NSBP, 2009). This map is for the Chinook Scenic Byway near Mt. Rainier in Washington State. AE-8
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Example: Oregon Scenic Byways
Oregon has its own Scenic Byways Program that includes federal, state, city and county defined scenic roads and highways. Some are in the NSBP and some are not. This program lists its scenic byways at: http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/SCENICBYWAYS/index.shtml. As an example, the Silver Falls Scenic Byway is a 55‐mile route near Salem, OR that goes through Silver Falls State Park. Although it is not part of the NSBP, it still qualifies for this Voluntary Credit based on its designation by the state of Oregon. Example: Scenic Viewpoint
Roadways can offer opportunities to safely view scenery by providing designated pullouts or viewing areas that allow motorists to stop and exit their vehicles to take in scenery. These viewing areas can be large constructed parking lots with visitor amenities (Figure AE‐8.3) or can be simple widened shoulder pullouts (Figure AE‐8.4). In either case the viewpoint or overlook should be properly signed and identified. Figure AE‐8.3: Scenic viewpoint showing Mt. St. Helens accessible from Forest Highway 25 in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Scenic Views
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Figure AE‐8.4: Scenic pull out (slightly left and lower from center) on SR 410 in Mt. Rainier National Park. POTENTIAL ISSUES
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Although a roadway may provide pleasing scenery, it cannot be considered for this Voluntary Credit unless it is (1) formally designated as a scenic roadway, or (2) provides an area for drivers to pull off the travelled way and stop to enjoy the scenery. Historical roadways or those with access to specific cultural or geological features are specifically included in Credit AE‐9: Cultural Outreach. In some cases, a roadway might qualify for both AE‐8 and AE‐9. Providing signage or direction to a scenic viewpoint or overlook that is not directly part of the roadway project does NOT satisfy this Voluntary Credit. RESEARCH
“Scenery is defined as the general appearance of a place and the features of its views or landscapes” (Gallioano and Loeffler, 2000). In the context of this Voluntary Credit it more specifically refers to predominantly natural features rather than man‐made. Along a roadway, scenery is then the natural features and beautiful views that can be seen from or nearby the roadway. In the context of sustainability, humans place value on what they can see and its quality so the availability of scenic views along roadways can contribute to the equity component of sustainability (i.e., scenic views are something we value as humans). There are also measurable physical and psychological benefits to attractive scenery (Gallioano and Loeffler, 2000 cite Driver et al., 1992; Ulrich, 1984) and human preference for natural landscapes is identifiable and measurable (Gallioano and Loeffler, 2000 cite Magill, 1992; Lee, 1976; Litton, 1984; Daniel & Boster, 1976). Therefore, providing access to scenic views has value and can contribute to the sustainability of a roadway. The exact nature of the value can be complex but such value is based primarily on human perception and economic worth. The next two sections briefly survey these ideas. Assessing Visual Landscape Quality In a broad sense, visual landscape quality (a term that implies “scenic views” and a rating of their degree of excellence) is typically quantified using expert design approaches or public perception approaches (Daniel, 2001). Expert design approaches rely on translating landscape features to formal design parameters that can then be related to how humans perceive them based on models or theory. Public perception approaches rely on how AE-8
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landscape features function as stimuli to evoke human response. Either method is fundamentally related to how humans perceive landscape features. These perceptions are, on average, quite consistent in that people tend to prefer natural‐appearing landscapes (Lee, 1976; McGuire, 1979; Newby, 1971; Noe, 1988) and generally like the same things (Zube, 1976). Therefore, in a broad sense it is possible to predict human preferences for visual quality and plan for them in a roadway. An opposite approach that is gaining momentum seeks to directly assess the ecological function of the landscape and deem human perception and preferences irrelevant (Daniel, 2001). This approach may even find that not building any road may be the best approach to preserving visual landscape quality. Economic Value of Scenery Scenery can also be judged based on its economic value. Most research in this area investigates what humans have paid for the privilege of enjoying a view or what they would be willing to pay. For example, in looking at Hong Kong apartments Jim and Chen (2009) found that people are willing to pay a premium for attractive views; e.g., a broad harbor view of Hong Kong Harbor could increase the apartment value by 2.97% or about $15,173. In something perhaps more related to roadway scenery, Batistan et al. (2002) looked at the value of agricultural land in Wyoming (near Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks) and found that “…remote agricultural lands, which include wildlife habitat, angling opportunities and scenic vistas, command higher prices per acre than those which primarily possess agricultural production capacity.” Another, perhaps simpler, way to demonstrate the economic value of scenic views is to look at the pricing of hotel rooms. Lange and Shaeffer (2001) looked at room pricing in Zurich, Switzerland and found there to be significant value in views (a somewhat obvious conclusion but nonetheless supported by proper statistical analysis). Such economic analysis is not entirely new either. An 1879 article in the New York Times (Jarves, 1879) provides an early view into what scenery is worth. In this article Jarves looks at tourist visits to Switzerland and claims 1.4 million visitors have spent over $45 million, which, he argues, can be viewed as the interest at 5% on $900 million, “…which may be considered the actual market value of the landscape alone…” In 2009 dollars that conservatively comes to well over $20 billion. The National Scenic Byway Program (NSBP) The NSBP chooses less scientifically rigorous methods for selecting roadways for designation as National Scenic Byways or All‐American Roads. The definition of their six intrinsic qualities that these roads have (archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, scenic) indicates that the NSBP definition is broader than the Gallioano and Loeffler (2000) definition of “general appearance and the qualities of its view and landscapes.” However a review of these six intrinsic qualities shows that each one must essentially be represented by a physical presence that can be viewed or experienced. The specific requirements for scenic byway designation are outlined by the FHWA in their interim policy on Scenic Byways (National Scenic Byways Program, 1995). Specifically, roadways nominated should: 
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Safely and conveniently accommodate two‐wheel drive automobiles with standard clearances. Accommodate, wherever feasible, bicycle and pedestrian travel. Safely accommodate conventional tour buses. Have a scenic byways corridor management plan. For All‐American Roads, there must be a demonstration of the extent to which enforcement mechanisms are being implemented by communities along the highway in accordance with the corridor management plan.  User facilities (e.g. overlooks, food services, etc.) should be available for travelers.  Have continuity. Roadways should have too many gaps but rather should be as continuous as possible and should minimize intrusions on the visitor’s experience. Also, and importantly, any road nominated for the National Scenic Byway or All‐American Road designation is considered to be designated a State scenic byway. Many of the scenic byways running through the United States are not just viewed as part of the how people travel, but can be recognized as cultural landmarks (Youngs, White and Wodrich, 2008). Scenic Views
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GLOSSARY
All‐American Road National Scenic Byway Scenery Scenic View A road designated by the National Scenic Byways Program and possessing characteristics of national significance within at least two of the following intrinsic qualities: archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic. A road designated by the National Scenic Byways Program and possessing characteristics of regional significance within at least one of the following intrinsic qualities: archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic. The general appearance of a place and the features of its views or landscapes. A pleasing sight or vista that involves a landscape predominated by natural (as opposed to man‐made) features. REFERENCES
Bastian, C.T.; McLeod, D.M.; Germino, M.J.; Reiners, W.A. & Blasko, B.J. (2002). Environmental amenities and agricultural land values: a hedonic model using geographic information systems data. Ecological Economics, 40, pp. 337‐349. Daniel, T.C. & Boster, R. (1976). Measuring landscape esthetics: the scenic beauty estimation method. Research Paper. RM‐167. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. Daniel, T.C. (2001). Whither scenic beauty? Visual landscape quality assessment in the 21st century. Landscape and Urban Planning, 54, pp. 267‐281. Driver, B.L.; Brown, P.J. & Peterson, G. (1992). Benefits of leisure. State College, PA: Venture Publishing, Inc. Gallioano, S.J. & Loeffler, G.M. (2000). Scenery Assessment: Scenic Beauty at the Ecoregion Scale. Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project: Scientific Assessment, Quigley, T.M., ed. PNW‐GTR‐472. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland, OR. Haefele, M. (2009). Scenery holds economic value. The Wilderness Society. http://wilderness.org/content/scenery‐
holds‐economic‐value. Accessed 8 December 2009. Jarves, J.J. (18 October 1879). Money Value of Scenery; Revenue from Natural Attractions. New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B0DEFD7103EE73BBC4C53DFB7678382669FDE. Jim, C.Y. & Chen, W.Y. (2009). Value of scenic views: Hedonic assessment of private housing in Hong Kong. Landscape and Urban Planning, 91(4), pp. 226‐234. Lange, E. & Schaeffer, P.V. (2001). A comment on the market value of a room with a view. Landscape and Urban Planning, 55(2), pp. 113‐120. Lee, R.G. (1976). Assessing public concern for visual quality—landscape sensitivity research and administrative studies. PSW‐19. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, Berkeley, CA. Litton, R.B., Jr. (1984). Visual vulnerability of the landscape: control of visual quality. Research Paper. WO‐39. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Washington, DC. AE-8
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Magill, A.W. (1992). Managed and natural landscapes: What do people like? Research Paper. PSW‐RP‐213. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Albany, CA. National Scenic Byways Program (NSBP) Online. (2009). National Scenic Byways Program. Website. http://www.bywaysonline.org. Accessed 3 December 2009. National Scenic Byways Program, 60 Fed. Reg. 26759 (1995). Ulrich, R.S. (1984). View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science, 224, pp. 420‐421. Youngs, Y.L. (2008). Transportation Systems as Cultural Landscapes in National Parks: The Case of Yosemite. Society and Natural Resources, 21, 797‐811. Scenic Views
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