Landscapecentered

Landscapecentered is a term used to describe an approach in landscape-related disciplines that places landscapes at the center of analysis, design, and interpretation. It treats landscape as a dynamic resource shaped by ecological processes, cultural practices, historical memory, and social meaning, rather than as a static backdrop for human activity.

The term is applied across fields such as landscape architecture, urban planning, geography, and the environmental humanities. It emphasizes landscapes as processes and relationships that connect people, place, and environment, rather than as fixed objects. This stance often leads to integrative work that considers ecology, culture, history, and governance together.

Core principles of landscapecentered practice include prioritizing landscape as the primary context for decision making, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and attending to spatial and temporal scales from local to regional and from past to future. Participatory methods and community engagement are common, as are practices attentive to place meaning, biodiversity, and resilience.

Common methods used in landscapecentered work include field mapping, cultural and ecological assessment, geographic information systems (GIS), participatory workshops, and narrative or phenomenological inquiry. Projects may address urban design, habitat restoration, heritage management, or climate adaptation, with an emphasis on long-term stewardship.

Origins of the concept reflect a broader shift in landscape studies toward integrative, place-based inquiry during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Critics caution that the term can be broad or ambiguous unless clearly defined in context, and emphasize the need for explicit goals, evidence, and inclusive stakeholder involvement.

See also: landscape architecture, cultural landscape studies, landscape ecology, place-based education.