GIS-based Architectural Design in Heritage Landscapes: towards a Knowledge-based Definition of Touristic Routes

Abstract

Network-based spatial analysis tools are useful for solving complex routing problems. However, the search for the most optimal route in terms of distance and time does not always guarantee the most convenient design solution, as occurs in heritage landscapes. A landscape architecture project aimed at designing touristic routes that connect heritage resources requires additional variables as in these cases it is not only a matter of achieving the most efficient connection between the heritage assets, but of detecting the paths that allow a better interpretation of the cultural meaning of the landscape. This text presents a GIS-based analysis protocol that combines least-cost path network analysis with weighted overlay analysis in order to introduce the time depth, the visibility and the level of visual and noise pollution of the paths as variables of influence in the selection of the touristic routes. The proposed method has been applied in the metropolitan area of the city of Seville (Andalusia, Spain), where there are relevant heritage resources that remain unconnected and could benefit each other through integrative touristic formulas. The aim of the method is advancing a protocol for a computer aided advanced architectural design in territorial scales.