Landscape Issues Research Articles

A Fieldwork Forum for the VAF

A Fieldwork Forum for the VAF Brent R. Fortenberry and James Michael Buckley Fieldwork—the recording of buildings in situ with measured drawings and photographs—is one of the distinguishing features of vernacular architecture as a field of study. —Thomas Carter and Elizabeth Collins Cromley As Tom Carter and Betsy Cromley emphasize in their Invitation to Vernacular Architecture, the foundational introductory text for our field, fieldwork is central to the work of the Vernacular Architecture Forum. At the 2021 VAF Virtual Conference, we convened a group of VAF members for a plenary session called “Fieldwork Futures” that considered how our work in the field is evolving as intellectual, social, and technological conditions change around us. This panel led to a wide-ranging discussion among all those assembled about what the future of vernacular fieldwork might look like.1 After that session, we asked our panelists to follow up with a round of written commentary for this issue of Buildings & Landscapes, and we are delighted with the result. These articles allow the panelists room to expand on points they made during the session and to issue new challenges to our field in the twenty-first century. All of these authors ask about the meaning and relevance of vernacular fieldwork in the contemporary world and offer suggestions about how our field should carry out its mission to explore the ordinary built environment. Danielle Willkens discusses the opportunities and challenges of digital measurement techniques and demonstrates that there is as much craft involved with these technologies as there is with handheld tape measures and mechanical pencils. Elaine B. Stiles explores how preserving vernacular architecture will require “a fieldwork model that starts with people rather than material and received histories” in order to record for “a more representative, equitable, and just public history landscape” than we have achieved in the past. The role of oral history and ethnography involving living communities is the subject of Sarah Lopez’s reflection on interacting with Mexican migrants, and she offers some insights about how vernacular architecture fieldwork can enlarge the historical record with new types of evidence gleaned from those who presently make use of ordinary spaces. Arijit Sen challenges us to consider going beyond the physical recording of buildings by working with local communities toward social justice and by remaining open to the “serendipity” we always find out in the field. As we begin the exciting Mellon-funded VAF/ University of Virginia African American fieldwork program this summer, we will have the opportunity to test all of these methods of updating our fieldwork practice. We hope that by continuing our conversation at last year’s conference, this set of essays will help us keep thinking about our fieldwork in future issues of B&L, in conference sessions, and, of course, on long tour bus rides. notes 1. Thomas Carter and Elizabeth Collins Cromley, Invitation to Vernacular Architecture: A Guide to the Study of Ordinary Buildings and Landscapes (University of Tennessee Press, 2005), xvi. Copyright © 2022 Vernacular Architecture Forum

Advancing multi-regional research in Canada through collaboration.

ObjectivesCOVID-19 accentuated the importance of breaking down data siloes and aligning incentives for data access, collection, and use. Health Data Research Network Canada (HDRN Canada) is responding to this challenge, bringing together people and organizations to transform health data use in Canada. ApproachHDRN Canada’s foundation is its partnership of 20 pan-Canadian, provincial and territorial data organizations that together are enabling multi-regional research. This is being enriched with HDRN Canada’s development of the Canada Health Data Research Alliance (HDR Alliance). The HDR Alliance coordinates expansion of sources and types of data available while retaining organizational independence. A project-based pilot approach is underway with two large pan-Canadian, longitudinal, consented cohort studies being linked at HDRN Canada sites. In addition, a collaboration with a pan-Canadian COVID19 clinical trials network is ensuring that clinical data are collected in ways that enables linkage with population-based administrative data. ResultsHDRN Canada has created a single data access portal for researchers with information on over 500 datasets and supported 72 research projects to date. Work on the HDR Alliance adds data from the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health and the Canadian Longitudinal Survey on Aging. The former includes 350,000 individuals, and survey data (including related to COVID-19), physical measures and genomics. The latter includes 50,000 individuals with survey data and physical measures. Four multi-region clinical trials are being planned with the support of HDRN Canada. Even with aligned incentives, challenges navigating data governance and access processes remain. Collaborations are necessary to address these complexities and enable access to richer data in an efficient and timely matter. ConclusionStrong partnerships are critical to unlocking the potential of Canada’s data assets and expertise. The HDR Alliance provides a collaboration mechanism to increase the “findability”, accessibility and utility of data assets, while addressing complex issues in the data landscape. This increases research opportunities and the impact of population-based, linkable data.

Portugal's experience in landscape conservation and planning

Motives: The landscape is one of the key resources that not only reflects the society’s behaviour, but also affects the quality of life and well-being of citizens. Great care of landscape protection is visible in Portugal – a country with rich natural and cultural values. As a signatory of the European Landscape Convention, the country is obliged, among others, to integrate spatial planning with landscape issues. Aim: The aim of this paper is to indicate Portugal’s experience in implementing the European Landscape Convention in national legislation and public participation. Landscape protection is an important element of spatial planning at all levels there: national, regional and local. Results: The experience of Portugal may be an interesting example for Poland, where, although in particular voivodeships the implementation of a new instrument that is landscape audit is being carried out, there are no documents at the national level.

Preparing for the Future: Diversity in Chiropractic Education: Chiropractic Educators Research Forum (CERF), December 4, 2021.

This conference was convened by the Chiropractic Educators Research Forum (CERF) on December 4, 2021. This meeting provided a forum for the presentation of scholarly works in education theory and practice. This conference specifically focused on research related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. During the December 2021 CERF meeting, presenters and panelists took an in depth look at how chiropractic programs work to address diversity issues in the changing landscape of healthcare and to address the needs of the world population.

Rainfall Erosivity Impact on Sustainable Management of Agricultural Land in Changing Climate Conditions

Soil is negatively affected by many degradation factors, of which soil erosion is the most serious, affecting soil quality, crop production, and environmental components. Soil quality is an issue dealt with in the New European Green Deal. In order to meet the set goals, it will be necessary to address soil degradation and water erosion in the agricultural landscape, and increase the area of green infrastructure within the landscape (e.g., fragments of woodland, windbreaks, and grassland). In this context, climate change is also expected to affect the frequency and intensity of torrential rainfall, leading to increased runoff, reduced infiltration, and greater soil loss. Therefore, in this study, we have elaborated the issue of agricultural landscape and erosion, looking at erosion control measures necessary in dealing with existing erosion processes in an intensively farmed area with chernozem soils, and compared these with scenarios assumed for 2050. In these future scenarios, the commonly applied agrotechnical measures will not suffice to keep soil loss at a tolerable level. In the future, it will be necessary to discuss a further reduction in the size of land blocks, with the inclusion of green infrastructure in the landscape. In addition to solving problems of erosion, this would increase diversity in the area and enable sustainable agricultural management.

Towards a taxonomy of arguments for and against street renaming

Abstract In 2016, a special issue of the Linguistic Landscapes: An International Journal explored the nexus between LL and collective memory studies, calling for more research at the interface of these disciplines. Our analysis adds to recent studies by exploring the ways in which commemorative street renaming processes are discursively embedded. We build on research on memorialisation as well as critical toponymy to analyse media discourses that accompany, support or contest commemorative naming practices in the urban streetscape of a large East German city during the last century. Based on this dataset, we develop a typology of arguments against or in favour of street renaming. The longitudinal analysis of discourses in the local press vis-à-vis ongoing resemioticisation reveals a complex relationship between lived political history, freedom of the press, the type of argument and the stances encoded therein.

Ripensare i lastscapes. Da spazi altri a spazi pubblici: ipertopie al di là dei recinti


 
 
 
 Conventional description, interpretation and design processes for public space enter into crisis in the geography of the 20th-century sprawling city denoted by enclosures. In this complex geography, often coinciding with that of drosscape, heterotopias of deviation raise thorny issues in the contemporary urban landscape. Role and shape of these now obsolete heritages must be rethought starting with the enclosure walls, a representative element of the heterotopical identity of these places.This paper explores burial landscapes, lastscapes, as a chance for urban fragments surrounding them. These places should be interpreted as hypertopias and no longer as heterotopias, rather than “other spaces” they should be considered as public spaces. With this purpose, three design strategies are proposed, using northern European case studies: a project of rooms, a project of margins, a project of layers.
 
 
 

An overview of the River Contract tool: new aims in planning and protected areas issues

ABSTRACT The River Contract, as a new negotiated process, even if it is not yet clearly placed in the context of spatial planning tools, can play an important role in the improvement phases of territorial governance policies. River networks, which often cross urban spaces, can certainly be considered places of choice for the contemporary experimentation of territorial and local strategies. This paper analyses the different possibilities of acting on natural infrastructures, through the analysis of cases carried out in various European countries. This investigation led to the definition of recurring advantages and disadvantages in river planning application, expecially referring to the Italian national context for the Landscape Plan, a special planning tool for landscape issues, included waterways. Despite the disadvantages, the River Contract represents a concrete possibility of achieving landscape aims: this process, acting at different scales of intervention, could contribute to solving the complex system of relations between all the components involved.

Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation into Rural Development Plans in Vietnam—How to Build Resilience at the Interface of Policy and Practice

The interconnectedness between climate change and development has generated an increasing interest amongst development organisations to integrate adaptation into government rural development plans in a way that effectively increases resilience at a local level. However, the nature of climate change resilience is widely debated in the literature, and there is a knowledge gap regarding the best way to address adaptation at the interface with development objectives as part of mainstreaming. This paper aims to address this knowledge gap via a case study of a community-based, Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) project in Vietnam. A case study approach was applied with fieldwork at one project site, complemented by semi-structured interviews with government stakeholders, key experts, and project leaders of related projects. The analysis identifies five key factors that enhance rural resilience in a smallholder agricultural context: (i) engaging local governments as partners, (ii) considering broader landscape issues such as markets, (iii) providing farmers with support to facilitate adoption of CSA practices, (iv) fostering community capacity building, and (v) promoting adaptive management and scenario planning to deal with uncertainty. The paper concludes that resilience is multidimensional and not solely in line with any one of the approaches dominant in the literature.

The importance of historical maps for man-made pond research: From the past extent of ponds to issues of the present landscape. A case study from the Czech Republic

Abstract Historical maps are a valuable resource in landscape research. The information gathered from them facilitates the cognisance of landscapes and may assist current landscape planning. This study focuses on the historical occurrence and spatial extent of man-made ponds in the Czech Republic. Based on the 1st Military Survey maps (1764–1783) of the Habsburg Monarchy, we use Historical GIS to identify 7,676 man-made ponds in the historical landscape. Compared to the 2nd Military Survey maps (1836–1852), 56% of these man-made ponds had been drained. Such disappearances mostly affected large ponds in fertile agricultural areas, but also affected small reservoirs in less fertile areas at higher altitudes. As the current maps and spatial datasets (Water reservoirs, Landscape water regime, Farming areas) show, a number of these agricultural regions have been affected by climate changes and face water shortages. The historical map information of former ponds has the potential to contribute to their restoration in areas where water retention in the landscape needs to be increased.

Mining activity and island landscape issues: evidence from Cyclades islands, Greece

ABSTRACT This paper maps the visual impact of mining activities on terrestrial and marine landscapes of the Cyclades islands, Greece, an island complex in the Aegean Sea of particular natural and cultural heritage. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, mining activities developed on the islands, many of which are abandoned today. Some of the remaining inactive mines and accompanying structures have been registered as monuments and part of the national industrial heritage. The remaining active mining units conflict for land with the main economic activity today, tourism. The visual impact of the mining units is calculated and mapped, resulting in viewshed analysis which quantifies the impact of mining units on terrestrial and marine landscapes, with emphasis on nominated traditional settlements and mention of non-traditional ones. The quantitative results have shown that the landscape study needs to be incorporated in terrestrial and marine spatial planning.

Diaspora and Asian spaces in a transnational world

AbstractEarlier versions of the papers in this Special Issue of Linguistic Landscape were originally presented at XIScape, the Eleventh Linguistic Landscape Workshop in Bangkok. As the first ever Linguistic Landscape Workshop convened in Asia, it afforded scholars from six continents, many of whom had never had the chance to attend a LL workshop in the past, the opportunity to present their work and to hear what others were doing. Some adhered strictly to the workshop theme, “East Meets West: Social Reflection and Integration.” Others interpreted the theme more loosely. Still others overlooked it. The result was a program of approximately seventy papers on a diverse range of topics employing an eclectic array of theoretical frameworks and methodologies.

Local public authorities’ and French mainland landscape advisers’ perception of landscape in Mayotte Island: The issues of quality of life in a developing region

The European Landscape Convention (ELC) has affirmed and legitimised the role of the landscape in the quality of life of people, emphasizing the importance of both remarkable and ordinary landscapes. Therefore, the convention should ensure that landscape issues are taken into account everywhere - in rich and poor regions and in different cultural contexts especially where the term ‘landscape’ does not exist in the local languages. We choose to study Mayotte, a French Overseas Department off the east coast of Africa, characterised by a particular territorial context with similar issues to those of the countries in the Global South. The aim of our research was to reveal how the concept of landscape is understood and defined by local public authorities and their landscape advisers and the extent to which the wider framework of the ELC is relevant to encourage landscape to be effectively taken into account in land use planning. Semi-structured interviews with 14 key stakeholders (local authorities and landscape advisers from mainland France) brought to light different ways of understanding the term ‘landscape’, and different approaches for including the issue of the landscape in land use management. The results show how integrating the issue of landscape can improve the quality of life in a poor region especially through the adoption of landscape tools. This adoption is still characterised by a top-down approach in which the French legislation and State services play an important role but which nonetheless clearly highlights the potential of these tools to coordinate a territorial project.

النقد الرقمی السعودی المعاصر قضایا ومفاهیم

الملخص : الأدب الرقمي هو ذلک الأدب الذي يفيد من الإمکانات التقنية التي تنتجها برامج الکمبيوتر وشبکة الإنترنت، بکلمات أخرى وبعبارة أخرى فالأدب الرقمي هو ذلک الأدب الذي يعتمد على خصائص التقنية الحديثة . ويهدف هذا المنجز البحثي إلى رصد الظواهر النقدية في مواقع الشبکة العالمية مع بيان تأثير هذه المواقع على اللغة العربية ومدى تناسبها معها في ظل متطلبات ومتغيرات العصر بما تتيحه هذه المواقع من تنوع وثراء وتعدد للمفاهيم . کما يسعى البحث إلي بسط الحديث عن المفاهيم والقضايا النقدية في المشهد النقدي الرقمي في المملکة العربية السعودية. وذلک في عدة محاور تتمثل أولا في: النقد الأدبي الرقمي قضاياه وإجراءاته ومفاهيمه. والمحور الثاني عن: النقد النظري والثالث عن: النقد الموضوعي التطبيقي والرابع عن: نقد النقد، والخامس عن النقد والتشکيل وذلک حتى نستوفي جميع أرکان النقد .Abstract Digital literature is that literature that takes advantage of the technical potentials produced by computer programs and the Internet, in other words, digital literature is that literature that relies on the characteristics of modern technology. This research achievement aims to monitor critical phenomena on global network sites with an indication of the impact of these sites on The Arabic language and the extent to which it fits with it in light of the requirements and changes of the times, including the diversity, richness and plurality of concepts offered by these sites. The paper also seeks to expand discussion of critical concepts and issues in the digital monetary landscape in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The second axis is about: theoretical criticism, the third is about applied objective criticism, and the fourth is about criticism, so that we have met all the pillars of criticism..

Sustainable Rural Landscape Development in Poland – Current Problems

The author discusses current issues of sustainability rural landscape from the perspective of optimal use of economical, ecological and natural resources management in Poland. Agriculture in Poland is one of the most important sectors from an economic perspective and its importance is greater than in other countries in the EU. Rural landscape is not only a place of agricultural production and farming, but also because of favourable environmental conditions, more common place of living, which would be impossible without an efficient modern infrastructure. Rural landscape in Poland is more and more often treated as ‘carbon parks’ assimilating the carbon dioxide emitted by fuel burning. Farmers are changing their role from food producers into environmental guardians. KEY WORDS: sustainable rural development, climate change, rural environmental infrastructure. JEL CODES: Q01, Q15, Q24, Q25, Q28 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15181/rfds.v19i2.1285

Typologies of the North: Mediating ‘Northerness’ in Jazz in Scandinavia

In this article I examine some of the ways that accounts of jazz in Scandinavia have been focusing on a taxonomy of features most often associated with folk music and the remote geography of the north. I focus on specific musicians and collaborations from Norway, Denmark, and Sweden in the second half of the twentieth century, to explore issues of folklorism and landscape, questioning the degree to which perceptions of ‘northerness’ in jazz have been paired with notions of nationalism. I conclude by looking at the extent to which elements of neo-traditionalism were at play in diverse forms of cultural practice in the late twentieth century, examining the inward-looking folklorism often associated with ‘the Nordic tone’.

Interview with guest editor Wayne Baerwaldt

The interview with curator and guest editor Wayne Baerwaldt and artist, Zachari Logan pertains to questions about the nature of Logan’s visual art practice in relation to gender, sexuality and intersecting issues of queer embodiment and landscape.

Art

The interview with curator and guest editor Wayne Baerwaldt and artist, Zachari Logan pertains to questions about the nature of Logan’s visual art practice in relation to gender, sexuality and intersecting issues of queer embodiment and landscape.

Pratiche e progettualità di rigenerazione e welfare: il “Premio triennale Giulio Andreolli – Fare paesaggio”

The “Premio Triennale Giulio Andreolli – Fare Paesaggio” was born in 2016 with the aim of en-hancing landscape experiences in the European Alpine area. It is divided into three sections: plan-ning and programming initiatives, architectural and landscape interventions and education and par-ticipation actions. The success of the award shows the growing and transversal interest in landscape issues, both at in-stitutional and professional level, in the context of spontaneous and “bottom-up” initiatives. One emergent aspect of interest during the various editions is the birth of a large number of activi-ties related to the management of traditional rural landscape, and oriented to the knowledge of terri-tories and to the involvement of the inhabitants. These local communities are often engaged in new organizational methods, driven by sincere enthusiasm and civic sense. That is the reason why one of the most interesting elements emerging from the award experience must be sought in this intertwining between popular initiatives and both professional and institu-tional approaches. Bounding this reflection to the regeneration-driven production, which is the main topic of this issue, it is possible to isolate, among the many cases nominated for the award, some interesting experienc-es in which, with different outcomes, designers and clients have dealt with contemporary architec-ture, touching important themes related to the transformation of alpine landscapes.

Sistematización de la dialéctica del paisaje para la gestión participativa del espacio público

Para la sección Disertaciones sobre Diseño del Vol 8, Nº 1 de la revista Designia, la autora invitada presenta un artículo corto de reflexión, que se deriva del proyecto de investigación adelantado para conseguir el título de Magíster en Planificación y Diseño del Paisaje, de la Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Argentina.
 En el texto, se reflexiona acerca de la enseñanza de la temática del paisaje en ámbitos universitarios, a partir del uso de herramientas digitales. De acuerdo con lo anterior, se presenta una propuesta pedagógica que incluye el diseño de un manual y un curso, para la planificación y adecuada intervención del paisaje.