Integration of Infrastructures in Landscape – An Opportunity to Landscape Planning Improvement

Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, and/or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions that will produce the desired outcome. The scope of the profession includes: urban design; site planning; town or urban planning; environmental restoration; parks and recreation planning; visual resource management; green infrastructure planning and provision; and private estate and residence landscape master planning and design - all at varying scales of design, planning and management. This book contains chapters on recent developments in studies of landscape architecture. For this reason I believe the book would be useful to the relevant professional disciplines.


Introduction
This paper presents a work that was developed during three years, in a partnership between the company EDP Distribuição, SA (Grupo EDP-Energias de Portugal SA) and the Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources of the University of Porto (CIBIO/ UP), financially supported by the PPDA -Promotion of Environmental Performance Planapproved by the Energy Services Regulatory Authority (ERSE). The objective of this work was the production of a Manual of Good Integration Landscape Practices of the Infrastructure of the Distribution Network. This manual aims to present a set of strategies, guidelines and practices for landscaping integration, in mainland Portugal, of electrical infrastructures, namely: Substations, Lines of High, Medium and Low Voltage, Transformer Stations and Urban Cabinets.
The work had two major challenges: on the one hand, the development of technically sound solutions and proposals from the standpoint of landscape integration of these infrastructures, minimizing their impact; on the other hand, ensure ease of use and the application of this technical manual for non-specialists in the field of landscape. Thus, it was essential to know how the planning and design of these infrastructures in the company was carried out, developing a compatible methodology for landscape integration.

Conceptual process for the development of the manual
The principle from which the methodological and conceptual process began, developed for the construction of this Manual of Good Integration Landscape Practices of Electrical Infrastructures (figure 1) was that electrical infrastructures cause always an impact in the landscape. On the majority of cases, this impact is negative since it causes an intrusion and a change in landscape character. Therefore, it is essential to analyze and study these two variables -the landscapes and the electrical infrastructures.
Concerning landscape, it is important to understand its character that reflects the interaction of the various components of landscape, namely physical, biological, social, cultural, economic and visual. The identification of the character of the landscape allows the identification of the types of landscape with homogeneous characteristics, which requires , it allows the assessment of the capability of each landscape in receiving (from a spatial and visual standpoint) elements foreign to its nature, such as electrical infrastructures.
In the study of the electrical infrastructures, on the one hand, legal and technical aspects, constraints to the implementation of each infrastructure, were taken into account. On the other hand, aspects of shape and size, essential for the determination of its visual and landscape impact, were considered.
In parallel, it was carried out a study of practical cases -international case studies already implemented and cases presented by EDP Distribution for which landscape integration proposals were developed. The process carried out in these studies and the results obtained in terms of proposals, contributed to the definition of measures that constitute the core of this Manual. For the compiling of these measures, in addition to the bibliography research, the practical application in specific cases of new or conversion layouts of infrastructures was essential. It was a joint work of the University of Porto and the technicians of the company, which has proved to be very important for the validation of the proposed measures. On the other hand, it was also essential as a means of raising awareness and to introduce new approaches to be applied by the company technicians.
Finally the input from stakeholders heard during this project was taken into account.

Identification of landscape types
Landscape is something very complex and variable that, in the Portuguese context, is heavily accentuated by the geographic location, the orographic variety of the country, and Integration of Infrastructures in Landscape -An Opportunity to Landscape Planning Improvement 219 by the interaction of various ecological factors leading to a really rich and diverse landscape. This makes it advisable to attempt to identify homogeneous areas from the point of view of their character which is reflected in different types of landscape. The method developed for the identification of the types of landscapes, within this Manual, refers to a process of sequential selection of the main variables of the landscape, which ought to be considered as more relevant to landscape integration of electrical infrastructures: degree of urbanization, orography, and vegetation cover (figure 2). At first, two situations were distinguished which, by their nature, bring very different conditions: 'urban areas' and 'non-urban areas', i.e. landscapes dominated or not dominated, respectively, by the territory construction and infrastructure. Indeed, the urbanization of the territory and the consequent infrastructures introduce a significant artificiality that results in landscapes with a distinct character that encompass a very specific approach. 'Urban areas' are also landscapes where people stay longer, which means that social issues about the quality of the places where they live, work and enjoy themselves, must be taken into account.
Consequently, for what was named 'urban areas' two types of landscape were identified -(1) consolidated urban and rural settlements and (2) scattered settlements. This classification was defined taking into account the degree of urban consolidation, which is reflected into a higher or lower unity/density/continuity of built space. The first case presents a significant degree of consolidation while in the second case the level is low.
Since one of the aims of this process is to ensure ease of use and the application of this technical manual for non-specialists in the field of landscape, 'identification guides' were developed, using either illustrative processes or descriptive processes, to facilitate the procedures of identifying the type of landscape where an infrastructure will be placed.
In the 'identification guide for urban areas', Google earth was used as an universal tool of easy and simple use in order to find examples of consolidated urban and rural settlements (high/medium or medium/small density of building fabric inserted in the rural landscape)figures 3 and 4 -as well as examples of scattered settlements (dispersed/diffused building fabric contiguous and directly related to consolidated urban settlements and dispersed/diffused building fabric not contiguous to consolidated settlements) -figures 4 and 5.
Source: Google Earth In what concerns 'identification guide for non-urban areas', the first variable taking into account was orography -on a national scale, the main distinguishing factor to consider is the terrain. Four macro units were identified: Unit 1 -Prevalence of landscapes with very rugged topography, i.e. valleys and hills with slopes and significant variation in height Unit 2 -Prevalence of moderately hilly landscapes, i.e. valleys and hills with moderate slopes and variation in height Unit 3 -Prevalence of mostly flat landscape Unit 4 -Landscape with very diverse orography, being present moderately rough and flat reliefs, with a strong component of urbanization and infrastructure.
The objective of mapping these units (figure 7) is to provide guidance for the identification of each of these types of orography, identifying the prevalence of each one of them in the different regions of the country. It should be mentioned that the Portuguese landscape is very diverse, with large variations in orography within a short geographical area -therefore it was decided to choose to identify large patches where such a geographical predominance is found.
The second variable taking into account to 'identification guide for non-urban areas' is vegetation, considering its higher or lower capacity of visual absorption. In this case a land use map should be employed and the following types are considered: 1. Compact forests of evergreen and large species (e.g. maritime pine and eucalyptus). 2. Compact medium-sized woodlands (evergreen and/or deciduous, ex. native woods of oak, umbrella pine…).

Measures of landscape integration of electrical infrastructures
Having identified the type of landscape, it is possible to identify, through a guideline, the landscaping integration measures to consider in every situation. These measures are organized taking into account technical reasons, but also the process of planning and design of the company. Consequently, groups of Preventive Measures, Minimization Measures and Enhancement Measures were organized (figure 8).  Minimization Measures apply both in existing situations and in new situations, after the consideration of the preventive measures. They aim to mitigate the impacts that infrastructures can cause, nevertheless, on the landscape. They are based on a micro view of the landscape and they focus on the physical and cultural components of the landscape. They aim the very specific integration on the ground and, as such, actions can impact both in terms of infrastructures and in terms of landscape through earth modelling, planting schemes, physical treatment of infrastructures, among others.
Enhancement Measures reflect the added value that the implementation of an infrastructure can bring, in terms of landscape. In other words, the infrastructure should be regarded as something useful or interesting to users of that landscape, through the inclusion of the social, environmental and visual purposes.

Preventive measures: Planning and design of the layout of infrastructures
Fifteen sets of Preventive Measures were considered, which are shortly described as follows:  Set 1 -General measures for all infrastructures: they refer to issues related to preliminary studies of landscape, namely the analysis of the planning instruments of the territory, the detailed survey of the intervention area (terrain, type of land use, land cover, natural and cultural values, roads, existing overhead lines and other infrastructures), the production of studies on view-sheds and 3D simulation projects, among others ( fig.9). where the valley is more engaged, in other words at points of lower visibility, following the natural depressions so that they are concealed.  Set 7 -Transmission and distribution lines in flat zones: take in account land use -if the line finds a forest patch, focus the layout on the inside of the patch; if the line finds a permanent crop area in line focus on the straight layout, following the linear array of the landscape; in the water landscapes, consider placing the line underground or using existing infrastructures over the water plan, e.g. bridges.  Set 8 -Transmission and distribution lines in forest patches: focus on the crossing by stands of lower landscape quality, in particular, eucalyptus and acacia tree species, at the expense of forest patches of higher landscape value (visually and ecologically).  Set 9 -Transmission and distribution lines in compact forests of evergreen and large species: the layout of the lines should follow existing forest roads or forest clearings; and also consider the use of off line easement areas; in the slopes steeper than 1:3, not considering paths perpendicular to the line of greatest slope ( fig.10).

Minimization measures: Integration project and landscape treatment
Two types were considered: measures applicable to infrastructures and measures applicable to landscapes:  Set 16 -At the infrastructure level, minimization measures include actions such as the physical treatment of the infrastructure -poles and towers, substations, transformer stations, distribution cabinets -as far as form, scale, colour, texture, and pattern are concerned, taking into account the formal features of the landscape in which they are placed.  Set 17 -At the landscape level, minimization measures include landscape restoration treatment that mitigate the physical impact of the infrastructures in the landscape and actions that reduce the visual impact of the infrastructures themselves, namely: consolidation and planting of slopes, platforms and edges of new road access created by the installation of infrastructures; planting clumps along the 'right-of-way' areas to minimize its linear and disruptive effect; planting in the vicinity of the infrastructure in order to visually absorb it, on a scale of proximity, or next to the main points of visibility in order to frame the views to the infrastructure.

Enhancement measures: Intervention strategies for the benefit of the landscape and people, offered by the installation of infrastructures
 Set 18 -Consider the improvement of areas surrounding infrastructures or 'right-ofway' areas for social and recreational uses or to nature enhancement (green corridors, urban agriculture, bike paths, habitat restoration programs, water retention basins, among others); consider poles with particular shapes, involving in its design artistic considerations -infrasculpture or camouflaged poles; consider distribution cabinets and transformer stations as urban equipment, namely through its conversion (camouflage, coverage…) into elements of great visual interest ( fig.13). Fig. 13. Enhancement of a landscape, affected by the placement of electrical infrastructures, aiming to accommodate social and recreational functions -case study in Lisbon region.

Conclusion
As conclusion, it may be stated that this process -the design and development of the Manual and the interaction between landscape specialists and company technicians -was the beginning of a journey where issues concerning the value of the landscape played a major role, independently of the scale of intervention. Actually, this was the chief focus of this work -to convey the idea that landscape is a major asset that has to be respected and protected according to its quality, sensibility and character. As specialists in landscape, the authors consider that it is important not only to develop worthy landscape integration projects, but also to share the perception on landscape issues and principles with nonexperts who also act in the landscape. This view implied the formulation of guidelines that could be well understood and applied to the formulation of proposals by non-specialists. Some joint projects carried out, under this work, between the authors and technicians of the Electricity Company has evidenced that the proposed guidelines can not only help to design better layouts, as far as landscape is concerned, but also to provide comprehensive guidance, i.e., serve as a framework for well-balanced designs, in general terms and after