veldpatroon

Veldpatroon is a Dutch term that translates to “field pattern” in English. It denotes the spatial arrangement of agricultural fields, plots, and land boundaries within a landscape, including the shape and size of fields and the boundary elements that separate them, such as hedgerows, ditches, walls, fences, and roads.

Field patterns vary from long, narrow strips to regular rectangles to more irregular blocks. They result from historical land division, property rights, drainage and water management, soil quality, topography, and settlement layouts. Over time, many regions exhibit a shift from open or strip-field systems to enclosed fields, with boundary networks shaping the current landscape.

In the Netherlands and parts of Western Europe, veldpatronen often reflect processes of drainage modernization and land reclamation, as well as earlier medieval enclosure and subsequent agricultural reforms. Similar patterns can be observed in other regions, where field geometry mirrors historical land-use practices and practical needs such as transport, irrigation, and defense.

Researchers study veldpatronen using historical maps, cadastral records, aerial photography, LiDAR, and field surveys to map patterns and their evolution. The concept is used in understanding cultural landscape development, biodiversity corridors formed by hedgerows and waterways, and in planning and conservation to maintain or restore landscape connectivity.

Classification of veldpatroon can focus on geometry (strip, rectangular, irregular), boundary type (hedgerow, ditch, wall), and the history of enclosure and land division that produced the current layout.