Landscapes

1
Landscapes
2

• Carl Sauer - Cultural Landscapes
• A characteristic and tangible outcome of the
  complex interactions between a human group and a
  natural environment
• What is a Landscape?
• a unit of human occupation
• human design and use of the environment
• a product of human action
• a collection of evidence about human (our)
  character and experiences
• Three kinds of Landscapes
• Ordinary Landscapes
• Symbolic Landscapes
• Derelict Landscapes

3

• Ordinary, or Vernacular, landscapes
• the everyday landscapes that people create in
  the course of their lives
• Symbolic landscapes
• representations of particular values or
  aspirations that the builders and financiers of
  those landscapes want to impart to a larger
  public
• Derelict landscapes
• landscapes that have experienced abandonment,
  misuse, disinvestment, or vandalism

4
Example of a Symbolic Landscape
5
Landscapes as Text What can be read by these
landscapes or what was the architect writing
about when he/she designed these?
6

• The Aesthetics of Landscape
• A culturally determined standard of beauty and
  good taste

Canadian Aesthetics
SublimeA landscape so impressive that it
inspires awe or wonder
7
Do you like these buildings?
8
How about these?
Activity Go to Google Images and type in Weird
Buildings or Weird Architecture and see what you
see.
9
The Garden as Landscape

• Field Trips
• James Gardens
• Edwards Gardens
• Allan Gardens
• High Park

10
Humans like most animals have some sort of
Territoriality when it comes to
Landscape. Territoriality the persistent
attachment of individuals or peoples to a
specific location or territory Eg. attachment
to the backyard, school yards, parks, coffee shop
etc. Sense of place feelings evoked among
people as a result of the experiences and
memories that they associate with a place and the
symbolism they attach to it called Topophilia.
Eg. Church where you got married, Field where you
won a championship etc. Topophilia the emotions
and meanings associated with particular places
that have become significant to individuals -
love of place Discussion Relate some of your
feelings or ideas on the above three terms.
Agree/Disagree, Examples, your House/School, when
you were a kid, ????
11
Cognitive Images what people see in the minds
eye when they think of a particular place or
setting. Sometimes you can simplify or even
distort real-world environments. What you think
is an easy direction may be difficult for others.
What you think is dangerous may be safe to
others. Eg. Downtown Toronto. We tend to
organize our Cognitive images into several simple
elements
12
Paths The channels along which we and others
move (e.g., streets, walkways, transit lines,
canals) Edges Barriers that separate one area
from another (e.g., shorelines, walls, railroad
tracks) Districts Areas with an identifiable
character (physical and/or cultural) that people
mentally enter and leave (e.g., a business
district or an ethnic neighborhood) Nodes
Strategic points and foci for travel (e.g.,
street corners, traffic intersections, city
squares) Landmarks Physical reference points
(e.g., distinctive landforms, buildings,
monuments)
13
You could easily create a Cognitive image of
Toronto or your area of movement.
14
(No Transcript)
15
Place Marketing Economic and cultural
globalization has meant that places and regions
throughout the world are increasingly seeking to
influence the ways in which they are perceived by
tourists, businesses, media and consumers.
Landscapes are being re-invented, re-created
and re-furbished Niagara Falls is a good example
of all three! Other examples - Downtown cores,
Historical sites, Olympic sites (once the
Olympics are over), Waterfronts, old industrial
areas etc.
16
(No Transcript)
17

• Coded Spaces - The Shopping Mall and The City
  Plan
• Landscapes are embedded with meaning, which can
  be interpreted differently by different people
  and groups.
• To interpret and read our environment, however,
  we need to understand the language in which it is
  written.
• We must learn how to recognize the signs and
  symbols that go into the making of landscape.
• The practice of writing and reading signs is
  known as semiotics.
• side note think of dress codes - how a jock,
  rocker, rapper and tree hugger dress - what
  message are they trying to convey.

18

• The Shopping Mall
• Malls are palaces of consumption designed to
  send signals to the consumer about style, taste,
  and self-image - think Yorkdale - Eatons
  Center.
• Malls try to create the following illusions
• The traditional main street of small town
  North America or European square
• Carnivals or open-air markets
• Nature - being outside
• Malls try and give the visitor a sense of
  tourism illusion that there is more than
  shopping going on.
• Some malls even have a class structure - eg.
  Eaton Centre - top floor is upper class - bottom
  level is low to middle class.

19
Canada Trust Building - Montreal - the rest are
in Toronto
20

• In Canada the shopping mall also takes on a
  Winter City Concept - since going outside can
  be a challenge in winter in Canadian cities.
• Try to combine Private and Public space indoors
• Toronto - Path Downtown Walkway in Toronto

21
Note The building of the Eaton Centre in
downtown Toronto and its direct connect to the
subway and indoor parking removed people
(pedestrians) from the surface of Yonge and
Dundas. To get the people back outside
(especially during the summer) Yonge and Dundas
Square was built.
22

• The City Plan
• A perfect example of a plan and architecture that
  is rich in messages is the planned capital of
  Brazil - Brasilia
• Brasilia was built to convey
• A city in the wilderness - interior of Brazil
• The rich Brazilian history
• Christianity

23

• Think of the city plans and architecture of
• Paris
• Rome
• London
• Ottawa
• Washington
• Think of the individual buildings, the street
  pattern, the squares, the open spaces, the wide
  streets etc.

24

• Modern and Postmodern Spaces
• Modernism - Spaces and Buildings to convey
  economic and scientific progress - through
  inventions like the telephone, the automobile,
  the airplane and the skyscraper.
• Examples of Modern Space
• Highways
• Telephone Poles - overhead wires
• The American C.B.D.

25

• Postmodernism - Based on Consumption and showing
  Prosperity.
• Examples of Postmodern Space
• Re-developed waterfronts
• Re-vitilize downtown shopping
• Neo-Traditional Suburbs

26

• Spaces based on Globalization
• Globalization - Economic Interdependence , Mass
  Consumption
• Examples of Globalization
• Film
• Television
• Radio
• Internet
• Consumption this time means visual, audio and
  digital consumption - the consumption of
  experience. Examples
• Music - itunes, ipod, download
• Film - DVD, Blu-Ray, Movies
• Internet - Social Networks (FaceBook, MySpace,
  Twitter), YoutTube, Google etc.

27
Globalization deals with instant communication
- email, twitter, text messaging, gps Discuss
the modification of the English language (Syntax)
to suit text messaging. Discuss the emergence of
Virtual Shopping Discuss the rapid movement from
Photocopy to Fax to Email to Text
Messaging Discuss the censorship of the Internet
- Quebecs fear of English, China censoring the
Internet during the Olympics Discuss the
relevance of the Global Village
28
To conclude - nothing demonstrates this new
landscape of Globalization more than the
Restaurant. Especially as Cultural sites. Food,
more than ever, is being associated with
place. Champagne Feta Cheese Pasta/Pizza Maple
Syrup Wines Poutine Ice Wine
29
Restaurants today stress Ethnic Cuisine - (Canada
due to its Immigration is one of the Worlds best
examples) Thai Food Chinese Food Italian
Food Korean Food Portuguese Food Etc. The
Restaurants are using Music, Costumes,
Decorations and Architecture to give the visitor
a Sense of Place when going to eat.
30
The emergence of the Ethnic Restaurant in Montreal
31
The End!