A protected view or protected vista is the legal requirement within urban planning to preserve the view of a specific place or historic building from another location.
The protection may also cover the area behind the place or building concerned.
In London, high-rise development is restricted at certain sites if it would obstruct protected views of St Paul's Cathedral and other historic buildings from various prominent locations around the city.
[3] In Edinburgh, a 2005 skyline study compiled a list of almost 170 key views which are protected.
[4] In the US, protected views exist in places such as San Francisco;[5] Portland, Oregon where the size of downtown blocks is kept low to maintain the views of Mount Hood from the West Hills;[6] and in Canada the city of Vancouver, British Columbia has protected "view cones".