Expressions of National Identity in the Landscape Architecture Projects in Kazakhstan

Abstract

One of the important parameters of the quality of the urban environment is its identity. The concept of identity has a broad context. Identity has mainly been studied in the humanities such as psychology, philology, philosophy, sociology and anthropology. The process of globalization, leading to a blurring of the borders between cultures, is bringing to the fore the problem of national and regional identities in the architecture and landscape of the urban environment. This article examines the actualization of the concept of identity in architecture, urban development and landscape architecture. It focuses on sustainability of national and regional identity manifested through place identity. The main positions of research from other countries with the basis of identity have been analyzed according to the landscape philosophies of the XXI century. Through the analysis of scientific research in the field of cultural science, regional roots, signs and symbols have been identified as a basis for landscape practices in the urban environment of Kazakhstan. The study used complex methods of historical, ethnographic, cultural and architectural landscape studies examining the manifestations of identity in the traditional culture of Kazakhs. It produces a comparative analysis of ideas about identity in Kazakh traditional music, decorative and applied art. It also carries out structural and morphological analysis of project materials on landscape architecture of Kazakhstan. Moreover, a comparative analysis of individual objects of landscape architecture of XX and XXI centuries has been conducted. The paper produces new perspectives on nation-building efforts of Kazakhstan through designed landscapes since independence, elucidating the symbolic language of national identity manifested across major public parks and plazas.