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Landscape and urban planning cover for 2002
Landscape and Urban Planning 58 (2002) 5±6
Landscape and urban planning cover for 2002 Four photographs of the United Kingdom comprise the journal cover for 2002. ``Landscape'' is an old and familiar word used in common speech and a technical term to a variety of professions. ``Any landscape is composed not only of what lies before our eyes, but what lies within our heads'' (Meinig 1976). ``It is far too fascinating and important to be left fragmented and obscured in the jargon of the specialists. We are concerned not with the elements, but with the essence with the organizing ideas we use to make sense of what we see.'' D.W. Meinig's, ``The beholding eye: ten versions of the same scene'' is used to set the impression of each of the four photographs presented.1 Top Left: Whitby Abbey, UK Landscape as history: To such a viewer all that lies before his eyes is a complex cumulative record of the work of nature and man in this particular place. The Abbey is a reminder of the early church's dedication and power. It was founded as a monastery in 657 A.D. on the headlands overlooking the River Esk where the town of Whitby was later founded. It was ruled over by a royal princess, St. Hilda. A great council convened there in 664 A.D. to decide whether the church of Northumbria would follow Roman or Celtic traditions. The Roman party convinced King Osay the Roman way was right. In doing so, the English church would be associated with the main stream of western European christianity. The modern version of the abbey began its construction around 1220 A.D. It has served as a monastery, church, and a home for English nobility. It was bombarded by battle cruisers of the German ¯eet in 1
Meining, D.W., 1979. The Beholding Eye. The interpretation of ordinary landscapes, Geographical Essays, Oxford University Press, Editor, 255 pages. 0169-2046/02/$20.00 # 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 1 6 9 - 2 0 4 6 ( 0 1 ) 0 0 2 4 2 - 0
1914. It was taken into state care in 1920. The visitor is afforded a special view into England's storied past through these elegant architectural remains sited on this unique headlands landscape. Lower Left: Whitby Harbor, UK Landscape as habitat: In such a view, every landscape is a piece of the earth as the home of man. What we see before us is man continuously working at a viable relationship with nature adapting to major features, altering in productive ways, creating resources out of nature's materials. Whitby is built on the steep wooded inlet of the River Esk. It supports a busy harbor and a distinctive headlands landscape located along the northeast coast of England just off the Yorkshire Moors. Weather here is typically cold, windy and harsh. Captain Cook came to Whitby to apprentice here from 1746 to 1749. He joined the Royal Navy, made the rank of captain and through his global exploits changed the history of the world. Whitby still maintains the character of that era. Top Right: Burford, UK Landscape as place: In this view, every landscape is a locality, an individual piece of the in®nitely varied mosaic of the earth. This landscape cultivates a sensitivity to detail, to texture and to color. In essence, it is a landscape embracing all that we live amidst. Burford is known as the gateway to the Cotswolds. It is located some 20 mile west of Oxford. The architecture found here is typical of the 14th±17th century style found in the region. In these days, Wool was King and Burford was one of its centers. Today, this town is a destination point for weekend travelers looking for a holiday and an escape from city life.
6
J.E. Rodiek / Landscape and Urban Planning 58 (2002) 5±6
Lower Right: Portmeirion, UK Landscape as nature: The works of man are paltry compared with nature which is primary, fundamental, dominant and enduring. Such a viewer is tempted to remove man from the scene to restore nature to her pristine condition, to re-clothe the hills with primeval forests and mend the natural fabric. Sir Clough Williams Ellis built an Italian village on a peninsula of land near Porthmadog on the Glasyln estuary. The village is built in reduced scale and winds around the steep hills overlooking the estuary. The peninsula provides a network of trails for the plant lover to explore. Care has been taken to restore indigenous trees and shrubs along the trails. Consequently,
the visitor is taken to another Nace far removed from the congestion of everyday life. Walt Disney visited this project and derived many of his concepts for his Disneyland venture. The key concept was the immersion of the visitor into the wonders of the natural setting. J.E. Rodiek Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, College of Architecture Texas A and M University, College Station TX 77843-3137, USA Tel.: 1-979-845-1223; fax: 1-979-845-4491 E-mail address: [email protected] (J.E. Rodiek)
Landscape and urban planning cover for 2002 Four photographs of the United Kingdom comprise the journal cover for 2002. ``Landscape'' is an old and familiar word used in common speech and a technical term to a variety of professions. ``Any landscape is composed not only of what lies before our eyes, but what lies within our heads'' (Meinig 1976). ``It is far too fascinating and important to be left fragmented and obscured in the jargon of the specialists. We are concerned not with the elements, but with the essence with the organizing ideas we use to make sense of what we see.'' D.W. Meinig's, ``The beholding eye: ten versions of the same scene'' is used to set the impression of each of the four photographs presented.1 Top Left: Whitby Abbey, UK Landscape as history: To such a viewer all that lies before his eyes is a complex cumulative record of the work of nature and man in this particular place. The Abbey is a reminder of the early church's dedication and power. It was founded as a monastery in 657 A.D. on the headlands overlooking the River Esk where the town of Whitby was later founded. It was ruled over by a royal princess, St. Hilda. A great council convened there in 664 A.D. to decide whether the church of Northumbria would follow Roman or Celtic traditions. The Roman party convinced King Osay the Roman way was right. In doing so, the English church would be associated with the main stream of western European christianity. The modern version of the abbey began its construction around 1220 A.D. It has served as a monastery, church, and a home for English nobility. It was bombarded by battle cruisers of the German ¯eet in 1
Meining, D.W., 1979. The Beholding Eye. The interpretation of ordinary landscapes, Geographical Essays, Oxford University Press, Editor, 255 pages. 0169-2046/02/$20.00 # 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 1 6 9 - 2 0 4 6 ( 0 1 ) 0 0 2 4 2 - 0
1914. It was taken into state care in 1920. The visitor is afforded a special view into England's storied past through these elegant architectural remains sited on this unique headlands landscape. Lower Left: Whitby Harbor, UK Landscape as habitat: In such a view, every landscape is a piece of the earth as the home of man. What we see before us is man continuously working at a viable relationship with nature adapting to major features, altering in productive ways, creating resources out of nature's materials. Whitby is built on the steep wooded inlet of the River Esk. It supports a busy harbor and a distinctive headlands landscape located along the northeast coast of England just off the Yorkshire Moors. Weather here is typically cold, windy and harsh. Captain Cook came to Whitby to apprentice here from 1746 to 1749. He joined the Royal Navy, made the rank of captain and through his global exploits changed the history of the world. Whitby still maintains the character of that era. Top Right: Burford, UK Landscape as place: In this view, every landscape is a locality, an individual piece of the in®nitely varied mosaic of the earth. This landscape cultivates a sensitivity to detail, to texture and to color. In essence, it is a landscape embracing all that we live amidst. Burford is known as the gateway to the Cotswolds. It is located some 20 mile west of Oxford. The architecture found here is typical of the 14th±17th century style found in the region. In these days, Wool was King and Burford was one of its centers. Today, this town is a destination point for weekend travelers looking for a holiday and an escape from city life.
6
J.E. Rodiek / Landscape and Urban Planning 58 (2002) 5±6
Lower Right: Portmeirion, UK Landscape as nature: The works of man are paltry compared with nature which is primary, fundamental, dominant and enduring. Such a viewer is tempted to remove man from the scene to restore nature to her pristine condition, to re-clothe the hills with primeval forests and mend the natural fabric. Sir Clough Williams Ellis built an Italian village on a peninsula of land near Porthmadog on the Glasyln estuary. The village is built in reduced scale and winds around the steep hills overlooking the estuary. The peninsula provides a network of trails for the plant lover to explore. Care has been taken to restore indigenous trees and shrubs along the trails. Consequently,
the visitor is taken to another Nace far removed from the congestion of everyday life. Walt Disney visited this project and derived many of his concepts for his Disneyland venture. The key concept was the immersion of the visitor into the wonders of the natural setting. J.E. Rodiek Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, College of Architecture Texas A and M University, College Station TX 77843-3137, USA Tel.: 1-979-845-1223; fax: 1-979-845-4491 E-mail address: [email protected] (J.E. Rodiek)