Evaluating Landscape for Shared Values: Tools, Principles, and Methods

The aim of the paper is to discuss the need for innovation in the landscape policies that were proclaimed by the European Landscape Convention (ELC), which promotes a change from policies stressing conservation to policies stressing a management approach to planning new landscapes. This change focuses on the need to define a new methodological approach to evaluate and promote landscape values as well as to define a process leading to shared values in reference to landscape. This article begins its research with the recent implementation of the ELC in some European Countries. On this basis, it presents an alternative definition of landscape, discusses the role of landscape evaluation, and identifies the different types of values involved in landscape.     

New challenges in the field of spatial planning: landscapes

The European Landscape Convention (ELC) highlights the landscape as an holistic concept, which is important for individual and social well being and for quality of life. Landscape questions tend today to fall between the responsibilities of different sectors of society. The implications of the Convention for giving 'landscape' a higher status in spatial planning are discussed. Important challenges for planning that need to be focused from a landscape approach are discussed: the growing urbanization; the development and new roles of the urban fringe areas; new infrastructure landscapes; the mental landscapes of tomorrow; an holistic approach to landscape ecological planning and environmental policies and the need for co-ordination of European planning issues that concern landscapes. Planning for good landscape qualities is not a new issue; many landscape architects and landscape planners have worked in the spirit of the ELC for decades. The importance of educating landscape architects and planners with an holistic approach is particularly addressed. Efforts for a more integrated landscape education, such as the European network LE:NOTRE, already exist and contribute to the implementation of the ELC.     

New challenges in the field of spatial planning: landscapes

The European Landscape Convention (ELC) highlights the landscape as an holistic concept, which is important for individual and social well being and for quality of life. Landscape questions tend today to fall between the responsibilities of different sectors of society. The implications of the Convention for giving ‘landscape’ a higher status in spatial planning are discussed. Important challenges for planning that need to be focused from a landscape approach are discussed: the growing urbanization; the development and new roles of the urban fringe areas; new infrastructure landscapes; the mental landscapes of tomorrow; an holistic approach to landscape ecological planning and environmental policies and the need for co‐ordination of European planning issues that concern landscapes. Planning for good landscape qualities is not a new issue; many landscape architects and landscape planners have worked in the spirit of the ELC for decades. The importance of educating landscape architects and planners with an holistic approach is particularly addressed. Efforts for a more integrated landscape education, such as the European network LE:NOTRE, already exist and contribute to the implementation of the ELC.     

A relational approach to the implementation of the European Landscape Convention in Sweden

The European Landscape Convention (ELC) aims to promote landscape protection, management and planning and to organise European cooperation on landscape issues. The introduction of the ELC in 2000 created a need for further theoretical work within the field of landscape research, which has historically provided a weak theoretical basis for policy implementation. In this study, a relational approach was used to investigate the ongoing ELC implementation process in Sweden, illustrating government dynamics and highlighting efforts to transform discourses and practices. The conceptual framework used comprised three analytical components (policy community, policy meaning and strategy-making practice) and the relational approach was applied at national, regional and local policy levels. The results revealed both progress and obstacles to ELC implementation in Sweden and confirmed the usefulness of the relational approach.     

Exploring the national contexts and cultural ideas that preceded the Landscape Character Assessment method in England

Abstract

Countries ratifying the European Landscape Convention (ELC) agree to identify their landscapes, analyse their characteristics and assess the landscapes taking into account the values afforded them by the population. Some UK countries, such as England, are regarded as pioneers of these ideas and implementation of ELC principles even before it was drafted. Since the early 1990s, England (and Scotland) has been ahead of many countries in the development of methods for characterisation and identification of landscapes. However, such landscape assessment methods have been developed within a specific and distinctive historical context. This paper attempts to define the subtext of English landscape identity that may be ‘lost in translation’ or ignored when these methods are exported to other countries. The paper first outlines three major, interlinked aspects of ideas and societal development that have specifically affected development of landscape conservation and planning and landscape assessment methods in England, namely: (i) ideas from landscape conservation; (ii) countryside protection and planning in the early twentieth century; and (iii) institutionalisation and development of post-war planning and conservation practices. The paper also examines Landscape Character Assessment and discusses ways in which the national context may need to be considered when using this method.     

Landscape’s physiognomic structure: conceptual development and practical applications

The past decade has seen an increased interest in approaches for the identification and assessment of landscapes, which has been, in part, a response to the European Landscape Convention (ELC). In this article, we review landscape physiognomy, an important component of the Polish approach to the assessment and identification of its landscape. We address the relevance of physiognomy both in relation to the ELC and to the landscape character assessments approach, and then explore the theoretical basis of landscape physiognomic structure. We also expand the existing classification of landscape interiors; this is followed by combining three approaches: (1) physical geography in the field of comprehensive classification of natural landscapes; (2) landscape ecology studies on the spatial structure of land cover patches against the ‘landscape matrix’ and (3) the theory of landscape interiors. Presented ideas create the outline of the concept of landscape’s physiognomic structure.     

Valley landscape management: the context of a 'river contract' in the Semois valley, Belgium

A trans-boundary and multi-disciplinary approach to the river contract project for the Semois valley in Wallonia (Belgium) is described that provided the opportunity for a landscape-scale focus during actions to restore the watercourses and the associated valley area. A trans-boundary landscape survey was carried out under the context of the Interreg III European programme. This resulted in the rediscovery of lost views and viewpoints within the landscape and in the implementation of actions leading to the opening up of the valley, which provided opportunities to re-establish lost landscape features, such as hay meadows. The gathering of many partners in the negotiation process of this project can be seen as an example of 'landscape democratization' or participative management of landscapes in a trans-boundary and trans-disciplinary context and as such this project is a concrete realization of the aims of the European Landscape Convention (ELC).     

《欧洲风景公约》及其实施导则解析：迈向综合整体的风景园林规划管理

《欧洲风景公约》是第一个将风景作为规范对象的国际公约,这标志着"风景"概念从科学知识转化为行为规范,并成为跨国治理的政策工具。欧洲风景公约作为"软法"的本质特征是其规定性与确定性,精确的概念和严密的逻辑是公约文件的基石。从法规文本解读的角度全面阐释了公约的风景定义及其重要意义;深入解析了公约的总体措施与行动框架,评述了风景知识与风景行动的相互关系;并对公约在国家层面实施的干预机制、具体的实施方法进行了详细的阐述与解释。     

Valley landscape management: the context of a ‘river contract’ in the Semois valley,Belgium

A trans‐boundary and multi‐disciplinary approach to the river contract project for the Semois valley in Wallonia (Belgium) is described that provided the opportunity for a landscape‐scale focus during actions to restore the watercourses and the associated valley area. A trans‐boundary landscape survey was carried out under the context of the Interreg III European programme. This resulted in the rediscovery of lost views and viewpoints within the landscape and in the implementation of actions leading to the opening up of the valley, which provided opportunities to re‐establish lost landscape features, such as hay meadows. The gathering of many partners in the negotiation process of this project can be seen as an example of ‘landscape democratization’ or participative management of landscapes in a trans‐boundary and trans‐disciplinary context and as such this project is a concrete realization of the aims of the European Landscape Convention (ELC).     

Connecting landscapes: examining and enhancing the relationship between stakeholder values and cultural landscape management in England

In England’s post-Brexit environment, as the nation’s approach to cultural landscapes is reassessed, understanding what stakeholders value and how they currently engage with landscape management is likely to be increasingly important. This study explores this at a localised scale. Examining the value of an ecosystems services perspective, it focuses on two case-study landscapes in Gloucestershire. Using interviews, focus groups, mapping tasks and questionnaires it examines how stakeholder values intersect with current policies and practices. Based on this analysis, it suggests the need for greater integration and knowledge exchange between stakeholders to ensure the sustainability of landscape management. It suggests new strategies, such as a centralised e-portal of resources, are required to ensure awareness and dialogue between stakeholders. This study is part of a larger European project comparing how the values of stakeholders in heritage landscapes can be better integrated into cultural landscape management.     

Landscape change and the urbanization process in Europe

Urbanization is one of the fundamental characteristics of the European civilization. It gradually spread from Southeast Europe around 700 . ., across the whole continent. Cities and the urban networks they formed were always an important factor in the development and shaping of their surrounding regions. Polarization of territory between urban and rural and accessibility are still important aspects in landscape dynamics. Urbanization and its associated transportation infrastructure define the relationship between city and countryside. Urbanization, expressed as the proportion of people living in urban places shows a recent but explosive growth reaching values around 80% in most European countries. Simultaneously the countryside becomes abandoned. Thinking, valuing and planning the countryside is done mainly by urbanites and future rural development is mainly focused upon the urban needs. Thinking of urban places with their associated rural hinterland and spheres of influence has become complex. Clusters of urban places, their situation in a globalizing world and changing accessibility for fast transportation modes are some new factors that affect the change of traditional European cultural landscapes. Urbanization processes show cycles of evolution that spread in different ways through space. Urbanization phases developed at different speeds and time between Northern and Southern Europe. Main cities are affected first, but gradually urbanization processes affect smaller settlements and even remote rural villages. Functional urban regions (FURs) are a new concept, which is also significant for landscape ecologists. Local landscape change can only be comprehended when situated in its general geographical context and with all its related dynamics. Patterns of change are different for the countryside near major cities, for metropolitan villages and for remote rural villages. Planning and designing landscapes for the future requires that this is understood. Urbanized landscapes are highly dynamic, complex and multifunctional. Therefore, detailed inventories of landscape conditions and monitoring of change are urgently needed in order to obtain reliable data for good decision-making.     

Landscape Character Assessment as an Approach to Understanding Public Interests within the European Landscape Convention

The European Landscape Convention's (ELC) definition of landscape, “an area, as perceived by people…”, places the public central to any understanding of landscape. This paper argues for ‘just’ involvement of the public and looks at how the focus of landscape as a perceived entity has been taken up within Landscape Character Assessment (LCA), an approach applied in England and Scotland for implementing the ELC. Based on a conceptual framework grounded in perception as a phenomenological experience of landscape and informed by principles of participation, LCAs from 2007 to 2011 have been assessed as to how public involvement has been considered. The results show that only a quarter of all assessments accessed involved the public, and that among these there is great disparity in the degree to which the public is engaged.     

Deciphering Historic Landscapes: A Case Study of Slender West Lake in Yangzhou,China

Historic landscapes today are changing gradually or abruptly, and the abrupt changes have caused the loss of much historic information. How to identify and protect the significant evidence of dynamic landscapes is a question that must be answered by each cultural community. This article establishes a decipherment process—an operational guide for landscape assessment in China. This is a methodology using European methods integrated with traditional Chinese ways of landscape appreciation, providing an effective approach to translate the cultural landscape framework into the conservation inventory. Using Slender West Lake as a case study, the decipherment process has expanded the existing landscape investigation theory using the factor of artistic conception to integrate intangible values into the assessment process. It has also established a unit-based method to classify and represent historic landscapes.     

Rules versus ideas in landscape protection: is a Green Heart attack imminent?

Landscape protection in metropolitan areas is an ongoing activity that lies outside the remit of political office-holders. As political agendas change, the importance of landscape protection on strategic planning agendas may also change. This paper raises the question whether this strategic level of landscape protection ought to rest on rules or ideas, and uses the Dutch Green Heart as a case study. The success of Dutch planning has been attributed to a planning doctrine which has evolved around a principle of spatial organization consisting of an open landscape (a Green Heart) in the middle of a ‘rim’ city – in this case the Dutch Randstad. After this success had been recognized, policies were developed to formalize the protection of the Green Heart in strategic planning rules. Political controversies ensued, which resulted in the abolition of Green Heart policies at national level. Recently, the province of Zuid-Holland adopted a new structural vision and a byelaw in which there is no role for the Green Heart in development control. This paper analyses this new system of strategic development control and discusses the role of rules as opposed to ideas in landscape protection.     

Integrating landscape-based values—Norwegian monitoring of agricultural landscapes

An accumulating body of research identifies the importance of landscape structure for a wide range of countryside interests. Landscape structure reflects the results of policies and practices, and is well-suited as a target for management actions. New landscape metrics represent a potential for indicator-based management, provided such metrics relate consistently to the landscape values of interest. In this paper we propose that aspects of landscape structure, specifically heterogeneity, may be related to landscape-based values such as biodiversity, cultural heritage and human appreciation. Birds and vascular plants correlated well with our index for the heterogeneity of land types, whereas insects did not. Occurrence of prehistoric graves was also associated with land type heterogeneity, though other types of cultural remains were not. Landscape experience seems to be associated with the heterogeneity of landscape space rather than heterogeneity of land types. Different aspects of heterogeneity, scale, and variation over time all contribute to explain how our measures of landscape-based values vary in their relationship to landscape heterogeneity. Successful integration between disciplines in landscape studies depends on having a common operational framework, a shared theoretical basis, and a harmonised approach to data collection.     

Sustainable landscapes: contradiction, fiction or utopia?

As landscapes change continuously in a more or less chaotic way, the concept of sustainable landscapes could be viewed as a utopian goal. New landscapes emerge with changing life-styles. Decision making for landscape planning, conservation and management use the concept of sustainability widely. To make it operational, many new associated and more specific concepts have been proposed such as natural and social capital, conservation economy and quality of life capital. Most of these are inspired by economic thinking and rarely refer directly to the landscape. This article reviews the background and meaning of these concepts and shows that landscape is not seen here as an integrating, holistic concept. As landscape changes, also its meaning and significance changes and consequently its management.     

欧盟景观政策发展研究

对欧盟景观政策产生的背景和过程进行分析和阐述,总结了欧盟政策产生的阶段和特点。对欧盟景观政策发生、发展及背景进行解析有助于对欧洲景观学科研究现状的了解,有助于我国景观政策的研究,进而推动景观政策的形成与发展。欧盟景观政策使我们认识到综合协调环境政策的重要性,为景观保护、管理和规划提供了一个新工具,也为我们提供了一个重要的、思考景观未来的新出发点。     

Locating archaeological sites in the landscape: a hierarchical approach based on landscape indicators

Heritage conservation and management of landscapes is evident in many recent European policies and national reports on the state of the environment. To assist in the management of heritage resources, we present a landscape approach to the identification of localities with a high probability of possessing cultural heritage interests. The low proportion of sites registered in Norway (an estimated 20%) combined with current rates of damage gives the location of archaeological sites and their vulnerability to land use change high priority. To optimise use of the results for landscape planning, the study describes analysis at two hierarchical scales: (1) the regional level—where the aim was to locate combinations of environmental resources suitable for human use—for application in strategic planning; and (2) the landscape level—where identifying and delimiting cultural environments for local planning was the aim. This paper focuses on one type of archaeological site, Bronze and Iron Age grave mounds. The project used geographic information systems (GIS) for the analysis and mapping of landscape characteristics that indicate zones with a high probability of possessing cultural heritage interest. These zones covered ca. 12% of the forested areas of the region yet captured 94% of the registered grave mounds. New fieldwork confirmed the presence of new sites in the zones identified. Results have increased our understanding of archaeological site location in Norway and the close links between landscape ecology and archaeology.     

Perceptions and social valuations of landscape. Objectives and methodology for citizen participation in landscape policies

Since the approval of the European Landscape Convention, social perception has been accepted as one of landscape’s defining components and, therefore, any strategy for its planning, protection or management has to be in possession of knowledge produced by citizen participation procedures. The Convention did not formally state what these procedures are and no methodology has been agreed upon for guaranteeing their inclusion in landscape analysis and praxis. This article puts forward a methodological proposal to this end that has been designed, tested and put into practice in the compiling of the Landscape Catalogue of the Province of Seville (Andalusia, Spain). Arguments put forward to support the methodological choices made are evaluated with the aim that this proposal might be of use for other initiatives to create a theoretical and practical corpus for social participation in landscape policies.