Does every kind of stakeholders perceive and value identically rivers? Contribution of an eye-tracking experiment for a river restoration project (Yzeron River, France)
Résumé
The implementation of river restoration projects requires defining what river quality is. This definition may vary according to the geographical context or the perceptions and values of the stakeholders. The consideration of these different views is beneficial for restoration projects: it favours the identification and arbitration of all issues and the definition of more integrative projects. Such attention is even more important in urban areas, where natural environments are known to contribute to human well-being, and thus should meet social expectations.
To address this issue, and since environments are mainly experienced through the senses, we implemented a landscape assessment study. This paper presents the results of an eye-tracking experiment. It was carried out along the Yzeron River, a tributary of the Rhone River located in an urban area. The Yzeron River is being restored in several steps: a small section was restored in 2008, and a larger section is currently under restoration since 2014. Before this second stage, 27 residents and 20 experts were asked to walk along the waterway (in pre-restored and post-restored sections), wearing eye-tracking glasses. They had to assess, at predetermined stops, the quality of the scene, by answering a questionnaire.
The eye-tracking and the questionnaire data were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed. The results underline that: (1) residents and experts perceive and value river landscapes – especially waterbeds – differently; (2) Restoration works have real impacts on the observation of the river (on the time spent focusing on objects) and the river evaluation (the restored section is more appreciated).