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In a study of forest settings without paths, researchers have shown that if a location has either visual access or legibility, it will be preferred. If a high rating on either visual access or legibility is achieved, the other aspect does not significantly influence the apparent preference. Legibility relates to “features of the larger environment that foster understanding by aiding wayfinding and the building of a useful cognitive map,” while visual access is defined by answering the questions “How easy is it to see into this setting?” and “How well can you see all parts of this setting without having your view blocked or interfered with?”
Herzog and Kropscott investigated issues related to the model of environmental preferences developed by Stephen and Rachel Kaplan. The Kaplans’ preference system also includes the concepts of coherence (“features . . . that aid in organizing or understanding the scene”), complexity (“how intricate or visually rich” the scene is), and mystery (“features that encourage one to enter more deeply into the larger environment with the promise that one could gain interesting new information”).
Herzog, Thomas, and Laura Kropscott. 2004. Legibility, mystery, and visual access as predictors of preference and perceived danger in forest settings without pathways. Environment and Behavior, vol. 36 no. 5, pp. 659–77.