“美国视觉资源计划”内容、方法及对中国国家公园的启示

Visual Resource Programs of U.S.: Contents, Methods, and Implications for Chinese National Parks

关键词:  风景园林  视觉资源计划  美国保护地与公共土地  视觉景观  国家公园

Key words:  landscape architecture  visual resource program  U.S. protected and conserved areas  visual landscape  national park

摘要:

视觉资源具有保护和维持景观价值、提高公众参与和认知水平、辅助旅游规划和各类设施设计、监测和评估自然及文化资源、促进国际交流与合作等功 能。梳理美国不同保护地和公共土地的视觉资源管理系统，有助于中国在国家公园保护地规划中，寻找平衡资源保护与开发之间矛盾的途径。在美国视觉资源计 划官方网站上筛选不同管理部门发布的120余份文件，又在各部门的网站搜索各机构公示或印发的视觉资源相关文本、说明书和图册10余份。重点关注不同视觉 资源管控的程序、方法、成效。美国具有以视觉资源清单为基础的管理框架，多样方法的视觉影响评估，广泛的应用与成果，具有专家主导、科学系统、数字智 能、公众参与、多学科交叉、成果共享等特点。从指导思想与法律基础、景观分析评价方法技术、保障机制与缓解措施等方面总结经验，供中国学习借鉴。我国 国家公园规划需要加强视觉资源管理，需要建立一套完整的视觉资源管理体系，包括“景观元素清查-视觉质量评价-视觉规划管理-实施保障”，从理念认识、方 法工具、规划框架、法律保障等方面建立视觉管理体系，优化提升国家公园美学质量，助力国家公园生态产品价值转化效率的提高。

Abstract:

Visual resources - the visible attributes of landscapes that elicit aesthetic, cultural, and ecological responses - play an essential role in conserving and enhancing the value of protected areas, elevating public engagement and awareness, guiding tourism planning and facility design, and monitoring both natural and cultural assets. They are also an increasingly important medium for international dialogue on landscape stewardship. A systematic review of the United States' diverse Visual Resource Management (VRM) systems therefore offers timely insights for China's emerging National Park program as it searches for workable compromises between the imperatives of resource protection and the pressures of development. To compile a comprehensive knowledge base, the study first examined more than 120 official documents retrieved from the federal Visual Resource Stewardship Planning (VRSP) portal, which aggregates guidelines issued by agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Park Service. These documents were then augmented by roughly a dozen supplemental manuals, technical notes, illustrated handbooks, and policy circulars published on agency specific websites. Particular attention was paid to procedural steps, analytical methods, and documented outcomes, enabling a cross agency comparison of how visual resources are inventoried, evaluated, and ultimately factored into management decisions. The review reveals that the United States has gradually built a tiered but coherent framework centered on a national visual resource inventory. The inventory is supported by a growing array of visual impact assessment (VIA) tools that range from expert driven scenic quality models to crowd sourced photo analysis platforms. Agencies have also embraced digital innovations such as high resolution LiDAR, photogrammetry, and artificial intelligence–assisted view shed modeling, which have substantially increased the objectivity and reproducibility of scenic evaluations. Importantly, the entire system operates on the principles of expert leadership, scientific rigor, data transparency, and meaningful public participation. Interdisciplinary collaboration between landscape architects, ecologists, geographers, and social scientists is routine, while final products - geodatabases, digital view corridors, and visual simulation libraries - are often shared across agencies and with the public, reflecting a commitment to open governance. From a policy standpoint, U.S. VRM practice is underpinned by a clear legal mandate that integrates scenic values into broader environmental review processes such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The synergy between statutory requirements and methodological sophistication has produced tangible outcomes: road realignments to preserve iconic vistas, design guidelines that reduce the visual prominence of energy infrastructure, and interpretive programs that communicate scenic significance to visitors. These successes underscore the value of a systematic, legally grounded, and technologically enabled approach to visual stewardship. China's nascent nationalpark system stands to benefit from these lessons. First, the Chinese planning community needs to elevate the concept of visual resources from an aesthetic afterthought to a core element of ecological product value and visitor experience. This shift requires a robust inventory phase - essentially a "scenic elements census" - that catalogues viewpoint hierarchies, landscape character zones, and culturally significant vistas. Second, a transparent system for visual quality evaluation should be adopted. Such a system could blend expert assessment with machine learning analytics and public perception surveys, thereby balancing scientific precision with social relevance. Third, VRM must be embedded in a broader planning framework that links zoning designations to visual objectives: sensitive view corridors should receive strict protection, while less critical areas may permit carefully mitigated development. Fourth, legal instruments and operational guidelines should codify the requirement that all major construction and land use proposals within national park boundaries undergo a visual impact review, paralleling procedures for ecological or cultural heritage assessments. Equally important is the establishment of an implementation and monitoring mechanism. China can draw inspiration from U.S. practices such as visual resource condition reporting, before and after photo monitoring, and adaptive management triggers based on visual quality thresholds. Integrating these tools into routine ranger patrols or community science platforms would not only enhance enforcement but also cultivate societal pride in scenic stewardship. Finally, the promotion of international collaboration - joint research projects, comparative studies, and reciprocal training programs - will accelerate methodological convergence and foster a shared vocabulary of landscape aesthetics. In summary, the U.S. experience demonstrates that effective visual resource management is neither a luxury nor a purely aesthetic exercise; it is a strategic instrument that safeguards scenic capital, supports sustainable tourism, and enriches public appreciation of natural and cultural heritage. By constructing an end to end VRM system - comprising "element inventory, visual quality evaluation, visual planning integration, and implementation safeguards" - China's national parks can enhance their scenic integrity, improve ecological product value conversion, and position themselves as global exemplars of holistic landscape governance.