- Email: [email protected]
Seeking a fit
Landscape and Urban Planning 74 (2005) 3–6
Editorial
Seeking a fit
1. Introduction It is always helpful for journal editors to assess where they are and where they shall be in the next year of publication. This assessment helps maintain a journal’s course and purpose over the long term. That is why the editors of Landscape and Urban Planning Journal try to meet annually to discuss issues, problems and technical matters that help us see more clearly the progress we have achieved over the last year. This year our meeting was held in Syracuse, New York in March, in conjunction with the annual International Association of Landscape Ecologist Conference. We try to meet each year where we are sure to find the various scientific disciplinarians gathered to discuss the issues of the times. These meetings allowed us to confer with landscape ecologists, landscape planners and landscape architects on matters of science, publication, planning and design. One issue discovered during the meeting was the growing concern many of the different disciplinarians have about making progress toward the mutual goal of understanding better the interrelated character of problems posed by nature and human use of the land. In the interests of giving a sense of progress to our readers the following is offered. We shall start with a look at two human–environment scenarios observed by the author last summer in Europe. These scenarios lead to a definition of the 20th century concept for planners called “seeking a fit.” Then the concept of integrating human “habitat values” into planning is brought to light. Finally, we present the spe0169-2046/$20.00 © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2005.07.002
cial issues to be published over the next 18 months to demonstrate the progress made in landscape planning improvements. It is hoped that this work will give the reader tangible evidence that we really are making progress toward a better understanding of the human land use—nature planning dilemma and more importantly, that our primary reason for planning and designing the landscape is still to preserve and promote positive humanlandscape connections.
2. Two scenarios 2.1. Luchon, France (Bagneres de Luchon), the Pyrenees The slope of the mountain at this launch point is nothing short of treacherous. Two helpers are working with the ends of the sail. They look down the mountain to the toy-like patterns of the landscape in the valley below. The signal is given. The parasailer begins his run down the mountain. The sail catches the updraft of winds rushing up the slope. There is a snapping sound. The sail is instantly filled with a buoying air pocket. The parasailer glides effortlessly into the sky above the valley. He sails off into the volume of space in large, circular, graceful turns. He never looks back at his crew. He is released into an experience that demands his full attention. Quickly the launch site is filled with another parasailer, and the process begins again. The sky fills with yellow, green, red, teal blue and orange sails. It
4
Editorial / Landscape and Urban Planning 74 (2005) 3–6
will go on like this for several hours. There seems to be no limit to the supply of people willing to engage in this activity. As long as the winds and air temperature are favorable, they will continue to launch. What a unique visual experience this is. There is little noise, no fanfare, and no frantic administrative activity. The event leaves the spectators with a sense of awe and admiration. How special life can be at moments like these. 2.2. Vitznau, Switzerland—Lake Luzern The lakeshore is manicured and serene. There is only the slightest undulation on the water surface as it brushes the dock abutments. Horsechestnuts trees line the shore. Between the trees are large, simple benches where people can look out onto this vast mountain lake. Slowly but surely people begin to fill the benches. The logic of the placement of the benches becomes obvious to the curious observer. The spacing perfectly affords the occupants the right amount of proprietary privacy. People take possession of the remaining benches. They are calmly and quietly waiting for something. Four women occupy one of the best-placed benches on the shoreline. The women seem to know this. They are jovial and friendly to one another. They exchange words first to the person next to them, then to those farther away from them. Each seems to know who is talking to whom, and when it is their turn to join in. The pace of the conversations starts out at a slow, almost inaudible level. As time goes by, the pace picks up and becomes more animated. The women shoot brief glances to their left out onto the lake. Off in the distance, there is a small gray form moving toward them. Now it is visible—it is some kind of boat. The women, seeing the boat, turn towards one another. They dig deeper into their conversations with each other. The boat is now in full view. It is a modern, sleek, lowslung twodecked paddlewheeler and it is heading directly toward the dock located in line with the bench occupied by the four ladies. The boat is full with vacationers coming up from Luzern to visit the lakeside resort village of Vitznau. The boat docks, unloads its passengers, and takes on more travelers who have magically arrived from the village in less than 20 min. The waves generated by the
boat’s wake have caught up with the docked boat. They collide silently with the vessel, giving it cause to rise gently at dockside. As if triggered by this signal, the whistle sounds, and the boat eases out from the dock and heads up the lake. The ladies, as if on a silent signal of their own making, rise, bid each other farewell, and depart back into the village. This event takes place at regular intervals throughout the long days of summer here in Switzerland. The lakeside setting, the coming and going of the sleek paddlewheeler, the enclosed shade created by the canopy of trees, the small village and its wonderful villagers, the warm sun modified by the cool lake air, all contribute to the making of an artistic setting. This is the stuff good design is based on. It is referred to herein as the human–environment relationship. It occurs between individuals and the places they find themselves in. It consists of the landscape that lies before them and the values they hold towards the landscape. As planners, and designers, we need to know how to tap into this relationship. We discover this is much more difficult than it appears. 2.3. Seeking a fit Planners and designers are constantly trying to discover what the relationship of people and place is and how to create a connection between the two. It is called “seeking a fit.” The pursuit of this creative enterprise has motivated many of the best professionals of the twentieth century to create special places we all revere. Here in the 21st century, the conditions for creating a good fit have become difficult to achieve. There are several reasons for this. We discover we have succeeded in making ourselves the ecological dominants in many places throughout the global landscape. Planning and design is not so much seeking a fit as it is forcing a new place into existence. In the process, the place is of paramount importance, the relationship is downgraded to a more practical, economic one. We find our societies evolving to even greater levels of human presence and economic productivity. As this occurs, we become more dependent upon this economic productivity ethos. Our plans and designs support this philosophy if only by benign compliance. Yet we know this philosophy is unsustainable. To what purpose then are we planning and designing future landscapes?
Editorial / Landscape and Urban Planning 74 (2005) 3–6
Seeking a fit promotes the fundamental value of creating positive connections between humans and their natural and built surroundings. Can we not use this value as a means of restructuring our professional and educational objectives for planning and designing landscapes?
5
the residual patterns we have created at the watershed and the site scale. If we can correlate landscape patterns with ecosystem health we may have evidence of a baseline from which to measure the success or failures of our plans. 2.6. The watershed scale
2.4. Invoking the concept of habitat Our human-made environments are not only the places where we promote the dimensions of our growth, they are the places where we derive the basis of our survival. Habitats, by definition, are places where living things obtain their needs for survival and growth. For humans, these habitats are the landscapes we create, convert, protect, manage, and destroy all in the good name of planning and design. Some would say that protecting the future condition of our landscapes, be they relabeled habitats or anything else, is futile. These people believe humanity can do little to alter our inherited destiny of overwhelming landscapes. This rather fatalistic philosophy is nothing if not a convenience for those who would promote the growth component regardless of its impact on the habitat condition. A more helpful philosophy supported by many enlightened scientists, planners and designers promotes the belief that the human ability to anticipate, to modify, and to learn will allow us to find ways to prevent internally generated perturbations from destroying the mechanisms of natural productivity that sustains us. This philosophy promotes the belief that the search for general principles governing how we plan and design is feasible. Landscapes perceived as habitats invoke a host of positive human values regarding life, land, process and evolution. Ultimately this is the purpose of good planning and design that is the creation and management of natural and human-made places through application of cultural and scientific knowledge with concern for resource conservation and stewardship to the end that the resultant environment serves useful and enjoyable purpose. 2.5. Reading the landscape pattern One of the most obvious ways to measure our progress toward improved landscape planning is to read
Scientists have helped planners and designers appreciate the importance of not focusing in on too fine a scale to solve our land planning problems. Clearly site scale is important but it is at the watershed scale where negative impacts to natural systems can best be managed. Watersheds help define ecological units of organization. Watersheds can also define spatial units of planning that are most appropriate for the interpretation, analysis and resolution of landscape level problems created by the interactions of human use of natural resources. 2.7. The site level scale We must also focus attention at the site scale. Any advantage gained at this critical level has a significant impact not only on the landscape, but on the opinion of local residents and the opinions of users of the landscape in the region. If our decisions are sound, these residual landscapes will eventually generate cause for positive public opinion to evolve. If the decision creates a long-term positive relationship between people and their environments we might have the beginning of a precedent setting planning guideline.
3. Special issues There will be a series of seven special issues released by the Journal over the next 18 months. The special issues are focused on the objective of demonstrating to our readers the progress we have made toward making sound landscape planning decisions. There are three characteristics that are common to all these special issues. First, each special issue combines the skills of natural scientists and experienced landscape planners to demonstrate their best efforts at
6
Editorial / Landscape and Urban Planning 74 (2005) 3–6
improving human use of natural systems. Second, the special issues recognize the importance of coordinating watershed and site scale planning decisions to improve the way we connect people to their surrounding environments. Third, each special issue has the objective of keeping positive connections between people and their environments. The settings, culture and geography may vary, but this positive connection motive exists within each special issue. We have already started with the publication of “Science Contributions to the Development of Landscape Scale Management Plans, Tongass National Forest, Alaska. R. Szaro, D. Boyce, editors. April 30, 2005. We will follow with “Research on the Built and Virtual Environments,” J. Rodiek, G. Vasquez, Editors. Future issues now completed include “Sustainable Landscapes and Natural Capital, Bridging Disciplines, Approaches and Applications.” M. Potschnin, R. Haines-Young, Editors. “International Greenway Planning, Part II.” J. Fabos, R. Ryan, Editors. “Biosphere Reserve Management in the Yucatan Penninsula, Mexico.” R. Smarden, B. Faust, Editors. Two future issues in the last stages of completion will fill out our special issue efforts. “Landscape Analysis: Projecting the effects of management and natural disturbances on forest and watershed resources of the Blue Mountains, Oregon, USA” S. Wondzell, Editor and “Research on the Built Environment.” P. Jones, Editor.
4. Conclusion Ultimately the resolution of conflicts between human uses and the natural landscape will improve when our human values are in better alignment with the values of natural system structure and function. To date, there is not a clear understanding as to how to go about doing this. At best, we can only experiment. We can speculate about the importance of the environment to the individual. We can attempt to educate ourselves as to the importance of the relationship between people and landscapes both in the past and the present and what can be for our future. We seek a fit, we attempt to build a habitat. We continue to refine our decisions. The reason is clear. Whatever logic, planning guidelines or purpose to which we put our use of resources, ultimately these decisions will only be valid in the context of a concern for nature. Human life as far as we know is unique to this planet. How far have we come in managing ourselves with respect to this simple truth? To those who have contributed to these special issues we believe progress is being made. We will continue to strive to do so in the future. Guest Editor Jon Rodiek∗ Department of Landscape and Urban Planning, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3137, USA ∗ Tel.: +1 979 845 7059; fax: +1 979 845 4491. E-mail address: [email protected]
Editorial
Seeking a fit
1. Introduction It is always helpful for journal editors to assess where they are and where they shall be in the next year of publication. This assessment helps maintain a journal’s course and purpose over the long term. That is why the editors of Landscape and Urban Planning Journal try to meet annually to discuss issues, problems and technical matters that help us see more clearly the progress we have achieved over the last year. This year our meeting was held in Syracuse, New York in March, in conjunction with the annual International Association of Landscape Ecologist Conference. We try to meet each year where we are sure to find the various scientific disciplinarians gathered to discuss the issues of the times. These meetings allowed us to confer with landscape ecologists, landscape planners and landscape architects on matters of science, publication, planning and design. One issue discovered during the meeting was the growing concern many of the different disciplinarians have about making progress toward the mutual goal of understanding better the interrelated character of problems posed by nature and human use of the land. In the interests of giving a sense of progress to our readers the following is offered. We shall start with a look at two human–environment scenarios observed by the author last summer in Europe. These scenarios lead to a definition of the 20th century concept for planners called “seeking a fit.” Then the concept of integrating human “habitat values” into planning is brought to light. Finally, we present the spe0169-2046/$20.00 © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2005.07.002
cial issues to be published over the next 18 months to demonstrate the progress made in landscape planning improvements. It is hoped that this work will give the reader tangible evidence that we really are making progress toward a better understanding of the human land use—nature planning dilemma and more importantly, that our primary reason for planning and designing the landscape is still to preserve and promote positive humanlandscape connections.
2. Two scenarios 2.1. Luchon, France (Bagneres de Luchon), the Pyrenees The slope of the mountain at this launch point is nothing short of treacherous. Two helpers are working with the ends of the sail. They look down the mountain to the toy-like patterns of the landscape in the valley below. The signal is given. The parasailer begins his run down the mountain. The sail catches the updraft of winds rushing up the slope. There is a snapping sound. The sail is instantly filled with a buoying air pocket. The parasailer glides effortlessly into the sky above the valley. He sails off into the volume of space in large, circular, graceful turns. He never looks back at his crew. He is released into an experience that demands his full attention. Quickly the launch site is filled with another parasailer, and the process begins again. The sky fills with yellow, green, red, teal blue and orange sails. It
4
Editorial / Landscape and Urban Planning 74 (2005) 3–6
will go on like this for several hours. There seems to be no limit to the supply of people willing to engage in this activity. As long as the winds and air temperature are favorable, they will continue to launch. What a unique visual experience this is. There is little noise, no fanfare, and no frantic administrative activity. The event leaves the spectators with a sense of awe and admiration. How special life can be at moments like these. 2.2. Vitznau, Switzerland—Lake Luzern The lakeshore is manicured and serene. There is only the slightest undulation on the water surface as it brushes the dock abutments. Horsechestnuts trees line the shore. Between the trees are large, simple benches where people can look out onto this vast mountain lake. Slowly but surely people begin to fill the benches. The logic of the placement of the benches becomes obvious to the curious observer. The spacing perfectly affords the occupants the right amount of proprietary privacy. People take possession of the remaining benches. They are calmly and quietly waiting for something. Four women occupy one of the best-placed benches on the shoreline. The women seem to know this. They are jovial and friendly to one another. They exchange words first to the person next to them, then to those farther away from them. Each seems to know who is talking to whom, and when it is their turn to join in. The pace of the conversations starts out at a slow, almost inaudible level. As time goes by, the pace picks up and becomes more animated. The women shoot brief glances to their left out onto the lake. Off in the distance, there is a small gray form moving toward them. Now it is visible—it is some kind of boat. The women, seeing the boat, turn towards one another. They dig deeper into their conversations with each other. The boat is now in full view. It is a modern, sleek, lowslung twodecked paddlewheeler and it is heading directly toward the dock located in line with the bench occupied by the four ladies. The boat is full with vacationers coming up from Luzern to visit the lakeside resort village of Vitznau. The boat docks, unloads its passengers, and takes on more travelers who have magically arrived from the village in less than 20 min. The waves generated by the
boat’s wake have caught up with the docked boat. They collide silently with the vessel, giving it cause to rise gently at dockside. As if triggered by this signal, the whistle sounds, and the boat eases out from the dock and heads up the lake. The ladies, as if on a silent signal of their own making, rise, bid each other farewell, and depart back into the village. This event takes place at regular intervals throughout the long days of summer here in Switzerland. The lakeside setting, the coming and going of the sleek paddlewheeler, the enclosed shade created by the canopy of trees, the small village and its wonderful villagers, the warm sun modified by the cool lake air, all contribute to the making of an artistic setting. This is the stuff good design is based on. It is referred to herein as the human–environment relationship. It occurs between individuals and the places they find themselves in. It consists of the landscape that lies before them and the values they hold towards the landscape. As planners, and designers, we need to know how to tap into this relationship. We discover this is much more difficult than it appears. 2.3. Seeking a fit Planners and designers are constantly trying to discover what the relationship of people and place is and how to create a connection between the two. It is called “seeking a fit.” The pursuit of this creative enterprise has motivated many of the best professionals of the twentieth century to create special places we all revere. Here in the 21st century, the conditions for creating a good fit have become difficult to achieve. There are several reasons for this. We discover we have succeeded in making ourselves the ecological dominants in many places throughout the global landscape. Planning and design is not so much seeking a fit as it is forcing a new place into existence. In the process, the place is of paramount importance, the relationship is downgraded to a more practical, economic one. We find our societies evolving to even greater levels of human presence and economic productivity. As this occurs, we become more dependent upon this economic productivity ethos. Our plans and designs support this philosophy if only by benign compliance. Yet we know this philosophy is unsustainable. To what purpose then are we planning and designing future landscapes?
Editorial / Landscape and Urban Planning 74 (2005) 3–6
Seeking a fit promotes the fundamental value of creating positive connections between humans and their natural and built surroundings. Can we not use this value as a means of restructuring our professional and educational objectives for planning and designing landscapes?
5
the residual patterns we have created at the watershed and the site scale. If we can correlate landscape patterns with ecosystem health we may have evidence of a baseline from which to measure the success or failures of our plans. 2.6. The watershed scale
2.4. Invoking the concept of habitat Our human-made environments are not only the places where we promote the dimensions of our growth, they are the places where we derive the basis of our survival. Habitats, by definition, are places where living things obtain their needs for survival and growth. For humans, these habitats are the landscapes we create, convert, protect, manage, and destroy all in the good name of planning and design. Some would say that protecting the future condition of our landscapes, be they relabeled habitats or anything else, is futile. These people believe humanity can do little to alter our inherited destiny of overwhelming landscapes. This rather fatalistic philosophy is nothing if not a convenience for those who would promote the growth component regardless of its impact on the habitat condition. A more helpful philosophy supported by many enlightened scientists, planners and designers promotes the belief that the human ability to anticipate, to modify, and to learn will allow us to find ways to prevent internally generated perturbations from destroying the mechanisms of natural productivity that sustains us. This philosophy promotes the belief that the search for general principles governing how we plan and design is feasible. Landscapes perceived as habitats invoke a host of positive human values regarding life, land, process and evolution. Ultimately this is the purpose of good planning and design that is the creation and management of natural and human-made places through application of cultural and scientific knowledge with concern for resource conservation and stewardship to the end that the resultant environment serves useful and enjoyable purpose. 2.5. Reading the landscape pattern One of the most obvious ways to measure our progress toward improved landscape planning is to read
Scientists have helped planners and designers appreciate the importance of not focusing in on too fine a scale to solve our land planning problems. Clearly site scale is important but it is at the watershed scale where negative impacts to natural systems can best be managed. Watersheds help define ecological units of organization. Watersheds can also define spatial units of planning that are most appropriate for the interpretation, analysis and resolution of landscape level problems created by the interactions of human use of natural resources. 2.7. The site level scale We must also focus attention at the site scale. Any advantage gained at this critical level has a significant impact not only on the landscape, but on the opinion of local residents and the opinions of users of the landscape in the region. If our decisions are sound, these residual landscapes will eventually generate cause for positive public opinion to evolve. If the decision creates a long-term positive relationship between people and their environments we might have the beginning of a precedent setting planning guideline.
3. Special issues There will be a series of seven special issues released by the Journal over the next 18 months. The special issues are focused on the objective of demonstrating to our readers the progress we have made toward making sound landscape planning decisions. There are three characteristics that are common to all these special issues. First, each special issue combines the skills of natural scientists and experienced landscape planners to demonstrate their best efforts at
6
Editorial / Landscape and Urban Planning 74 (2005) 3–6
improving human use of natural systems. Second, the special issues recognize the importance of coordinating watershed and site scale planning decisions to improve the way we connect people to their surrounding environments. Third, each special issue has the objective of keeping positive connections between people and their environments. The settings, culture and geography may vary, but this positive connection motive exists within each special issue. We have already started with the publication of “Science Contributions to the Development of Landscape Scale Management Plans, Tongass National Forest, Alaska. R. Szaro, D. Boyce, editors. April 30, 2005. We will follow with “Research on the Built and Virtual Environments,” J. Rodiek, G. Vasquez, Editors. Future issues now completed include “Sustainable Landscapes and Natural Capital, Bridging Disciplines, Approaches and Applications.” M. Potschnin, R. Haines-Young, Editors. “International Greenway Planning, Part II.” J. Fabos, R. Ryan, Editors. “Biosphere Reserve Management in the Yucatan Penninsula, Mexico.” R. Smarden, B. Faust, Editors. Two future issues in the last stages of completion will fill out our special issue efforts. “Landscape Analysis: Projecting the effects of management and natural disturbances on forest and watershed resources of the Blue Mountains, Oregon, USA” S. Wondzell, Editor and “Research on the Built Environment.” P. Jones, Editor.
4. Conclusion Ultimately the resolution of conflicts between human uses and the natural landscape will improve when our human values are in better alignment with the values of natural system structure and function. To date, there is not a clear understanding as to how to go about doing this. At best, we can only experiment. We can speculate about the importance of the environment to the individual. We can attempt to educate ourselves as to the importance of the relationship between people and landscapes both in the past and the present and what can be for our future. We seek a fit, we attempt to build a habitat. We continue to refine our decisions. The reason is clear. Whatever logic, planning guidelines or purpose to which we put our use of resources, ultimately these decisions will only be valid in the context of a concern for nature. Human life as far as we know is unique to this planet. How far have we come in managing ourselves with respect to this simple truth? To those who have contributed to these special issues we believe progress is being made. We will continue to strive to do so in the future. Guest Editor Jon Rodiek∗ Department of Landscape and Urban Planning, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3137, USA ∗ Tel.: +1 979 845 7059; fax: +1 979 845 4491. E-mail address: [email protected]