Sustaining streetscape character: assessing the visual qualities of a dwelling's style

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). Whether this amenity can be sustained or modified to provide a more sustainable urban pattern when undergoing change is the principle concern of a streetscape analysis conducted during the planning approval process (DIPNR 2004). While the geometric qualities of a development such as height, volume and thermal load might be accurately assessed, the visual effect of a development in relation to its context often relies on the subjective qualities of style and character (HullIV 1993). This paper outlines an interdisciplinary approach, utilising architectural knowledge and computer image segmentation, to compare the visual qualities of traditional and suburban dwellings. The study suggests that a contextual fit between dwellings of different styles might be possible where they share particular visual characteristics.