Cultural Landscapes
Bruce Eitzen LA
Cultural Landscape is a term coined in the academic sector and refers to human or manmade landscapes or landscapes that are not natural per se. However, this label is highly debatable although well-entrenched in UNESCO and academic language. We will use it to cover the range of landscapes that are created by wo/man.
Many of the landscapes we see around us and experience in developed or urban areas are considered to be Cultural Landscapes. Thus we would consider the developed landscape such as urban areas to be cultural landscapes. Many of them are quite ordinary, especially what we may consider to be contemporary landscapes that lack any significant or striking features such as outstanding design or historical value.
The oldest type of cultural landscape are Ancient Landscapes and these are often Protected Landscapes. Historical Landscapes are another kind of highly valued Cultural Landscape and these include any kind of landscape, usually urban, but not necessarily, that have historic value. Many such landscapes are protected in their entirety or in their parts e.g. historic structures.
Another important area of Cultural Landscape is the Rural Landscape. These often have reference to Agricultural and Vernacular Landscapes. In Africa, historic landscapes may be less obvious to the eye due to the nature of the construction materials and the relative impermanence of fields and the movement of flocks.
As it is, many of these terms are interchangeable but we are using them in specific ways to help distinguish the multiplicity of layers or aspects of the landscape. Thus there are four Map Layers used currently to define these complexities; clicking on the link will take you to further detail on each one:
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Ancient & Protected Landscapes
Agricultural, Indigenous & Vernacular Landscapes
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Historic Settlements, Towns & Cities
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Historic Parks, Gardens & Landscapes
One can easily see how with more map layers, one could break these maps up further but as it is, they can all be viewed together or in any combination, the colour/symbol coding helping to distinguish to divisions.