Managing Cultural Landscapes

One of our deepest needs is for a sense of identity and belonging. A common feature in this is human attachment to landscape and how we find identity in landscape and place. The late 1980s and early 1990s saw a remarkable flowering of interest in, and understanding of, cultural landscapes. With these came a challenge to the 1960s and 1970s concept of heritage concentrating on great monuments and archaeological locations, famous architectural ensembles, or historic sites with connections to the rich and famous. Managing Cultural Landscapes explores the latest thought in landscape and place by:

airing critical discussion of key issues in cultural landscapes through accessible accounts of how the concept of cultural landscape applies in diverse contexts across the globe and is inextricably tied to notions of living history where landscape itself is a rich social history record

• widening the notion that landscape only involves rural settings to embrace historic urban landscapes/townscapes
• examining critical issues of identity, maintenance of traditional skills and knowledge bases in the face of globalization, and new technologies
• fostering international debate with interdisciplinary appeal to provide a critical text for academics, students, practitioners, and informed community organizations
• discussing how the cultural landscape concept can be a useful management tool relative to current issues and challenges.

With contributions from an international group of authors, Managing Cultural Landscapes provides an examination of the management of heritage values of cultural landscapes from Australia, Japan, China, USA, Canada, Thailand, Indonesia, Pacific Islands, India and the Philippines; it reviews critically the factors behind the removal of Dresden and its cultural landscape from World Heritage listing and gives an overview of Historic Urban Landscape thinking.

Ken Taylor AM is an Adjunct Professor in the Research School of Humanities & the Arts and Program Advisor to Institute for Professional Practice in Heritage & Arts, The Australian National University; Emeritus Professor of Landscape Architecture and former Co-Director, Cultural Heritage Research Centre, University of Canberra; Visiting Professor Silpakorn University, Bangkok.

Jane L Lennon AM is an historical geographer who worked for twenty years in national park planning, historic site management and was an inaugural member of the Australian Heritage Council. She has a PhD on the evolution of cultural landscape conservation in Australia from Deakin University where she is currently an Adjunct Professor.