Cultural Landscapes

1. Cultural Landscapes • If we define cultural landscapes as • “the visible human imprint on the landscape”, then answer the following? • How have people changed the landscape? • What structures have we erected? • How do landscapes reflect the values of a culture?

2. Cultural Landscapes • Cultural Landscape • “built landscape” • Physical imprint a culture makes on the environment • Buildings, artwork, music • Carl Sauer • 20th century geographer • Culture leaves “imprint” • Cultural Ecology • Study of human-environment interaction and its results –what have we discussed already on this topic? • Sequent Occupancy • Theory that a place can be occupied by different groups of people, and each group leaves its imprint on the place from which the next group learns • Ex. England • Other examples?

3. Natural vs. Cultural landscape

4. Cultural Landscape - Placelessness • Placelessness: • The loss of uniqueness in a cultural landscape – one place looks like the next • What aspects of Ashburn fit this definition?

5. Convergence of Cultural Landscapes • The diffusion of architectural forms and planning ideas around the world • Or • The widespread distribution of businesses and products • Con to this diffusion: • The borrowing of certain landscapes blurs place distinctiveness – can lead to placelessness

9. Thinking Geographically • Focus on the cultural landscape of Broad Run and Ashburn. Think about the concept of “placelessness”. Determine whether our school is a placeless place of it the cultural landscape of Broad Run reflects the unique identity of the place. • Now imagine you are hired to build a new addition onto Broad Run – a student lounge. How would you design it to reflect the uniqueness of the school?