The Cultural Landscape

While historical and protected landscapes have been well studied for years, the cultural significance of ordinary landscapes is now increasingly recognised. This groundbreaking book discusses how contemporary cultural landscapes can be, and are, created and recognised. The book challenges common concepts of cultural landscapes as protected or ‘special’ landscapes that include significant buildings or features. Using case studies from around the world it questions the usual measures of judgement related to cultural landscapes and instead focuses on landscapes that are created, planned or simply evolve as a result of changing human cultures, management policy and practice. Each contribution analyses the geographical and human background of the landscape, and policies and management strategies that impact upon it, and defines the meanings of 'cultural landscape' in its particular context. Taken together they establish a new paradigm in the study of landscapes in all forms.

This compelling book offers a fresh perspective on how the natural world has been imagined, built on, and transformed by human beings throughout history and around the globe. Coverage ranges from the earliest societies to preindustrial China and India, from the emergence in Europe of the modern world to the contemporary global economy. The focus is on what the places we have created say about us: our belief systems and the ways we make a living. Also explored are the social and environmental consequences of human activities, and how conflicts over the meaning of progress are reflected in today's urban, rural, and suburban landscapes. Written in a highly engaging style, this ideal undergraduate-level human geography text is illustrated with over 25 maps and 70 photographs. Note: Many additional photographs related to the themes addressed in the book are available at the author's website (www.greatmirror.com.)

All over the world, efforts are being made to preserve landscapes facing fundamental change as a consequence of widespread agricultural intensification, land abandonment and urbanisation. The 'cultural landscape' and 'resilience' approaches have, until now, largely been viewed as distinct methods for understanding the effects of these dynamics and the ways in which they might be adapted or managed. This book brings together these two perspectives, providing new insights into the social-ecological resilience of cultural landscapes by coming to terms with, and challenging, the concepts of 'driving forces', 'thresholds', 'adaptive cycles' and 'adaptive management'. By linking these research communities, this book develops a new perspective on landscape changes. Based on firm conceptual contributions and rich case studies from Europe, the Americas and Australia, it will appeal to anyone interested in analysing and managing change in human-shaped environments in the context of sustainability.

A collection of seventeen essays examining the field of American cultural landscapes past and present. The role of J. B. Jackson and his influence on the field is a explored in many of them.

Trusted for its timeliness, readability, and sound pedagogy, The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography emphasizes the relevance of geographic concepts to human problems. The relationship between globalization and cultural diversity is woven throughout; Rubenstein addresses these themes with a clear organization and presentation that engages students and appeals to instructors. The Eleventh Edition focuses on issues of access and inequality to discuss negative trends (such as the economic downturn, depleting resources, and human-caused climate change) as well as positive steps taken (sustainability, technology, regime change, women s rights, and more). An updated design is optimized for eBooks and more effective student learning. The cartography and photos are fully updated. "

This volume explores the relationship between sites, architectural symbols and cultural landscapes, and discusses a variety of issues related to the central themes of the book, providing insights into the history, as well as the present development, of cultural landscapes. Contributors to this book—architects, architectural historians and theorists—reconsider the notion of genius loci and its importance in shaping historical landscapes in the eastern part of Europe. Despite being focused on Lithuanian historical and architectural contexts, these essays will be of interest to anyone who approaches architectural and urban legacies as part of general culture. Transcending local realities, and providing insights into the making and destruction of cultural landscapes, the book will be useful to architects and architectural historians, as well as scholars dealing with urban and landscape issues not only in Europe, but also in other parts of the globe.

The Cultural Landscape - Past, Present and Future considers different aspects of man's intervention with natural vegetation and the landscape resulting from a long equilibrium of co-existence. These landscapes are not stable, and the recent and ever accelerating changes in technology and life-style have increasingly affected many ancient landscapes, as old land-use practices are abandoned and traditions forgotten. The papers in this book describe and trace the development of cultural landscapes in different climatic and biogeographical regions in Europe. Remnants of traditional land-use still remaining are described, particularly from Western Norway, where traditions have lingered because the rugged topography of the region is inimicable to high-technology. Each chapter is by an expert in the field. The topics cover the documentation of present cultural landscapes, their maintenance and restoration, and the history of the development of cultural landscapes from the Stone Age onwards, linking the intensity of landscape utilization with population dynamics and technological attainments. The disciplines involved include vegetation science, vegetation history, ecology, palaeoecology, archaeology, sociology, geography and history.