Sustaining residential social space: a visual and spatial analysis of the nearly urban

Residential development within heritage conservation areas is regulated by Development Control Plans (DCP), which provide guidelines about the shape and form that new houses, alterations and additions should take (DIPNR 2004). By understanding that the visual amenity of streets within a city plays an important role in creating a sense of place and community for its citizens (Lynch 1960) they attempt to sustain, through regulation, an urban pattern that has become valued by the community. This paper, being the third in a series of papers delivered at ANZAScA conferences, will build on an established interdisciplinary approach, utilising architectural knowledge and computer imaging to evaluate the visual character of detached housing within a heritage conservation area. The visual environment is assessed using computer software developed to locate the visual boundaries within a view or elevation. Aerial views of the streets and houses are also analysed using the established image segmentation methods, extending the spatial assessment of a streetscape beyond the purely visual information derived from walking through it.