Assessing Everyday Landscapes 2011

Objectives and Aims

This seminar aims to combine two learning objectives:

• to understand and apply different landscape assessment approaches
• to discuss the concept of ‘Everyday Landscapes’.

Background, theory, purpose and application of different landscape assessment approaches will be presented by taking a variety of international perspectives. Student participants will, parallel to a lecture series, apply assessment methods by performing small assessment projects (train and test in practice). For their assessment students select ‘everyday landscapes’ that are located in an environment they use ‘every day’. Small international groups of participants will compare assessment findings and reflect on the different approaches taken. The focus on ‘Everyday Landscapes’ relates to core principles of both the European Landscape Convention and the (emerging) International Landscape Convention. These Conventions call for a new understanding and validation of people’s everyday environment. Fragmented into various components that are green, grey or blue, agricultural, historical or ecological, landscapes are often undervalued and neglected, seemingly belonging to everyone, but actually to no one.