Influences of new high-rise buildings on visual preference evaluation of original urban landmarks:a case study in Shanghai, China

Newly-built high-rise buildings exert an unneglectable influence on the original urban outer spatial form. The visual preference evaluation of this influence can be taken as a key reference factor for the evaluation of public acceptance in the course of urban modernization. This paper sets two representative buildings of Shanghai as the research objects: The Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower, serving as the original urban landmark, and Shanghai Tower, representing the newly-built high-rise building. Relative height ratio, relative mass ratio, and relative distance ratio of the two buildings at different viewpoints are set as the physical properties. Eight key observation sites were selected as the viewpoints where photos of the two buildings were taken. Then, photo stimulation experiments were conducted with participants and the results were analyzed. The analytical results indicate that newly-built high-rise buildings exert certain influence not only on the urban outer spatial form centering around original urban landmarks, but on the potential change of urban viewpoints as well. The value ranges of relevant physical properties are also influential to visual preference evaluation. Height ratio (0.75, 1.00) and (1.50, 1.71), mass ratio (0.75, 1.10), and distance ratio (0.60, 0.78), the visual preference evaluation would be scored comparatively higher.