IDEAS OF 'SCENERY' AND 'LANDSCAPE' LINKING GEOGRAPHY WITH LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

The term ‘landscape’ while encompassing natural and human elements, is understood differently among disciplines. Geographers, another set of experts working closely with nature, provide crucial ecological data, aiding landscape architects in creating sustainable designs.

- Chandreyi Sengupta, Debajit Datta

The etymology of the term ‘landscape’ might be traced back to the Dutch word ‘lantscap’ from the 13th century, meaning land region or environment’. It went on to acquire a new meaning as ‘scenery’ later in the 17th century when the word was introduced into the English language through a Dutch painting of substantial international acclaim. The Oxford Dictionary has defined ‘scenery’ as ‘the natural features of an area’ that people find ‘attractive to look at’. However, the term ‘landscape’ attained different scientific connotations by researchers from a plethora of disciplines over time. While landscape ecologists studied it in terms of the linkages between land use patterns over space and environmental processes, archaeologists and historical geographers concentrated on its origin and significance as heritage. Besides, cultural geographers perceived it as a societal and intellectual construct with noteworthy symbolic undertones. Conversely, landscape architects focused their attention on the visual aspects of ‘scenery’. Considering this wide gamut of perceptions among researchers, it was deemed necessary to arrive at a formal definition of the term.