New Narrative for our Cities
Our cities are growing at a rapid pace, which creates significant pressure on housing, infrastructure, and workspaces. In many developing countries, the landscape is frequently reduced to a mere marketing tool used to sell real estate. This commodification severely dilutes our fight against environmental deterioration and makes the genuine efforts of landscape architects feel useless. To truly combat this issue, the entire spatial design profession requires a fundamental overhaul.
A helpful framework comes from Felix Guattari's 1989 book, "The Three Ecologies". Guattari encourages us to look at landscapes through three distinct lenses: mental, social, and environmental ecologies. This perspective helps us see that modern ecological crises stem from new forms of capitalism, highlighting the need for an approach that deeply respects the differences between all living systems.
Conventionally, we have always understood architecture as the built environment and landscape as the unbuilt. We need to completely redefine these concepts. Instead of looking at their structural nature, we should define these disciplines by their functional nature.
When we do this, architecture becomes defined by spaces that are specific and demarcated. Conversely, landscape becomes defined by spaces that are fluid, open-ended, and interpretive. Under this new definition, elements like a courtyard, a portico, or a veranda are actually landscapes. On the other hand, highly specific spaces like an orchard, a cornfield, or a tot-lot area hold a specificity that makes them architecture.
Stepping away from our conventional definitions allows us to create beautiful, seamless transitions in our spaces. It helps us reduce mindless construction and actively challenges the constant drive for accumulation. Ultimately, the landscape of tomorrow must be carefully curated to foster a culture of frugality, looseness, and open interpretation.
This write-up is a shortened form of my three part article published in LA Journal, Issue 45 (Download here)
