What are built landscapes?

Images of artificial landscapes

Landscape is a concept that we use in different ways depending on the field of study we are working with, however, it always implies the same actors: a subject that observes it and a subject that is observed. The landscape is a terrain that, due to its spatial, visual and physical qualities, becomes an object that deserves to be observed.the landscape is any area of the earth’s surface that, from the interaction that different factors have caused in it, have given it its own characteristics and offer a visual reflection of that space. But there is not only one type of landscape, do you want to know the difference between natural and cultural landscapes? Keep reading the following EcologíaVerde article and we will explain it to you.

Our planet is enormously rich and varied, in all aspects, and obviously also in landscapes. Below we will talk more in depth about this phenomenon, the different types of landscape and the factors involved in its formation and transformation.Landscapes represent large (or not so large) extensions of land that are formed by physical and natural elements that, either by their peculiarities or characteristics, capture our attention and represent the geographical expression of a particular region.Traditionally we understand that the factors that most influence the landscape are vegetation and relief, since they are those that are most easily perceived. For example, it is the relief that controls temperature and precipitation, and vegetation is the visual element that is most and best perceived. However, for centuries, man and his action has also been an inalienable factor in the formation and transformation of landscapes, and when we observe a landscape, we can see reflected in it the differences and variety of climates, reliefs and ways of life of the different human societies throughout the world and throughout history. That is why we talk about natural landscapes and cultural or humanized landscapes. Do you want to know their differences? In the following sections we explain each of them.

What is an artificial landscape

More walkable neighborhoods have lower rates of obesity, as well as increased physical activity among their residents. They also have lower rates of depression, higher social capital, and less alcohol abuse. The characteristics of walkable neighborhoods are that they are safe, as they include the construction of sidewalks, as well as special circulation for walking.[6] In addition, a walkable neighborhood is perceived as one that has well-maintained sidewalks and circulation, which correlate with higher rates of physical activity.[7] In landscape architecture, the landscape architecture of a neighborhood has been shown to have a higher rate of physical activity than a walkable neighborhood.[8] In landscape architecture, the landscape architecture of a neighborhood has been shown to have a higher rate of physical activity.

In landscape architecture, the built environment is understood as the manmade landscape as opposed to the natural environment; for example, a city park is a built environment.[citation needed]

Qué es un paisaje

Diferentes estudios internacionales han clasificado a Bogotá, Colombia, como una de las ciudades con mayor densidad del mundo. Sin embargo, en el interior, esta densidad se ve matizada por las características diferenciales del paisaje construido de las viviendas. Para entender y cuantificar este fenómeno, este estudio propone como metodología una clasificación de paisajes a través de un análisis de proyección espacio-temporal de la morfología y la densidad. Para identificar los tipos de paisajes se utilizaron bases de datos espaciales y software SIG, parametrizando y cuantificando las diferencias morfológicas y demográficas a escala de manzana. Esto dio como resultado la identificación de trece tipos de paisajes que representan diversas calidades de aglomeración en cuanto a los patrones y continuidades morfológicas, o rupturas, en cada momento normativo del diseño y la planificación urbana en la historia de la ciudad. Estos resultados indican cómo las altas densidades de la ciudad están relacionadas con la prevalencia del urbanismo informal y la introducción de un perímetro de crecimiento desde 1980. Además, se observa una distribución desequilibrada de las densidades y grandes desigualdades en el espacio de la vivienda per cápita en toda la ciudad.

Elements of the natural and cultural landscape

In its traditional meaning we can consider the landscape as a portion of the terrestrial surface that can be seen from a certain point. But, to consider the landscape as if it were empty of life is a forced abstraction. The landscape is composed of a combination of physical and cultural elements. It has, firstly, the physical qualities of the area that are significant to man (facts of physical sustenance) and, secondly, the forms of use (facts of human culture). The geographer Carl Sauer defined that first half as ‘site’ and regarded it as the sum of all the natural resources that man has at his disposal in that area, while the second part is its cultural expression, seen as the impression of man’s workings on the area or site. The first part he called the natural landscape and, in reality, it no longer exists in an integral form in the world. The second constitutes the cultural landscape (Sauer, 1925).

The assessment of the visual quality of landscapes requires the application of specific methods that incorporate both the variables that configure them and the spatial and functional interrelationships that define them. In this sense, the integration of multi-criteria evaluation techniques and analytical hierarchy processes in geographic information systems makes it possible to assess their quality by means of synthetic indicators. There are examples of the application of these techniques in different fields of land use planning where economic, ecological and social factors are taken into account for the choice of a suitable alternative or for quality assessment. The aim of this research team is to apply these instruments to assess the visual quality of landscapes from a technical and objective perspective, in order to interpret the meaning of the uses that occur in them.