Perception and evaluation of water in landscape: use of Photo-Projective Method to compare child and adult residents’ perceptions of a Japanese river environment

This study explores adults’ and children’s perception and evaluation of water in the landscape. The Photo-Projective Method (PPM), which asks residents to take pictures of their environment and record their descriptions of each scene on site, is used for a local opinion survey of a river landscape of Japan. Adults’ perception and evaluation of water in the landscape are compared with those of children. As perceptual/evaluative dimensions, stream view type, percent of water surface in a picture, rate of selecting water as a subject for photography, and verbally described features of water are used for analysis. It is clear that when adults are the dominant viewers of the landscape, appropriate arrangements of mid- to long-distance elements and dynamic aspects of water should become more significant in landscape planning. By contrast, when pre-pubertal children are the main users of the environment, planners need to focus more on short-distance elements including water, especially on its quality.