Abstract: The concepts related to landscape and visual impact assessment (LAVIA) as well as the assessment procedure,subjects and methodologies were reviewed and expounded.Some suggestions on how to conduct LAVIA in China were proposed.As landscape and visual impact is different from the ordinary pollution impact,having characteristics of being direct and difficult to eliminate,LAVIA should be conducted in due course to coordinate development plans with landscape and visual environment.The assessment methods include computer－aided photomontage and GIS etc..