Uncovering landscape values and micro-geographies of meanings with the go-along method

Abstract

Benefiting from recent developments in landscape anthropology, the objective of this research is to explore the landscape experiences and values of residents of a small city in the Greater Montreal area (Quebec, Canada). Given the lack of local knowledge, there is an urgent need for developing innovative and productive methods for revealing the implicit meanings attached to places and for facilitating community input and participation. Drawn from the mobile methodologies paradigm, the so-called go-along method, which consists of conducting on-site and mobile interviews, was chosen for its potential to generate place-bound narratives and reveal landscape values. While showing room for improvement, the go-along method proved to be original and productive for reaching the objectives of our research as it allows for revealing micro-geographies of meanings. In the analysis stage, we combined all the data produced into one single comprehensive interface so as to create a nexus of narrative, geographic and visual data. The results show that the residents’ knowledge is undeniably rich and relevant for understanding the diverse values which people have of landscapes. The exercise of bringing locals to express their perceptions and preoccupations in regards to their living environment thus constitutes a valuable complement to the traditional expert perspective. As such, the go-along method merits becoming an integral part of land management practices and offers great potential for further studies in landscape and urban planning.