‘Countryside’ is one of the most-used words in landscape and environmental management in the UK. Much thought has been given to definitions of landscape, but the word countryside is almost taken for granted. In landscape-related texts and... more
‘Countryside’ is one of the most-used words in landscape and environmental management in the UK. Much thought has been given to definitions of landscape, but the word countryside is almost taken for granted. In landscape-related texts and planning documents ‘countryside’ and ‘landscape’ are often treated as synonyms even though they mean very different things. This may not be a big problem within the UK where at least the approximate meaning is understandable, but more awareness of the use of concepts will be necessary as use of the English language for cross border cooperation and international publishing grows within the international community. This paper examines the origins and recent evolution of the term “countryside” in the UK. It argues that countryside it is a distinctively British notion and like the word ‘heritage’, has come to be a loaded term that carries a very particular set of assumptions that often treated as givens. Care needs to be taken when used in the context of other countries, and even in the UK it needs to be used with greater understanding than has sometimes been the case.
It should be obvious that culture matters to sustainable development. Yet almost 30 years after the Brundtland report ‘Our Common Future’ the incorporation of culture into sustainability debates seems to remain a great challenge, both... more
It should be obvious that culture matters to sustainable development. Yet almost 30 years after the Brundtland report ‘Our Common Future’ the incorporation of culture into sustainability debates seems to remain a great challenge, both scientifically and politically. There have been some recent attempts to bring culture into sustainability, by trans- and inter-national organisations and by cross/trans-disciplinary scientific endeavours, but they continue to swim against the prevailing current of conventional sustainability discourses rooted in environmental and economic perspectives. Culture, sustainability and sustainable development are complicated concepts that are not always easy for scientists, policy makers or practitioners to grasp or apply. In the course of our four-year (2011-15) COST Action, IS1007 Investigating Cultural Sustainability, we explored all three concepts and learnt to embrace their multiple meanings and connotations. In this final report from the Action we pres...
This is one of the outputs of the CHeriScape project (funded 2014-16 through the European JPI-Cultural Heritage: www.cheriscape.eu). It is a high level conclusion, designed to influence policy and practice. Its draws together the many... more
This is one of the outputs of the CHeriScape project (funded 2014-16 through the European JPI-Cultural Heritage: www.cheriscape.eu). It is a high level conclusion, designed to influence policy and practice. Its draws together the many ideas discussed at five international CHeriScape conferences and other workshops on the relationship between the concepts and practices of landscape and heritage.
The CHeriScape project (www.cheriscape.eu) was funded in 2014-16 through the European JPI-Cultural Heritage: www.cheriscape.eu. The project explored the relationship between the concepts and practices of landscape and heritage. This... more
“CHeriScape”, 2014–2016 (‘Cultural HERItage in LandScape’), was a three-year exploration from a (mainly western) European perspective of the cultural, social and environmental policy connections between the concepts and practices of... more
“CHeriScape”, 2014–2016 (‘Cultural HERItage in LandScape’), was a three-year exploration from a (mainly western) European perspective of the cultural, social and environmental policy connections between the concepts and practices of landscape and heritage. One of ten projects funded under the transnational pilot call of the Joint Programming Initiative on Cultural Heritage: A Challenge for Europe (JPI-CH) and coordinated by Newcastle University’s McCord Centre for Landscape, it acted through a series of five conferences organised by seven partners in five countries. Some of the partners were based in universities, others in national research and heritage management agencies.
Two national reviews of the HLC programme have been carried out. The first, and the one that you can download here, is 'Taking Stock of the Method'... more
Two national reviews of the HLC programme have been carried out. The first, and the one that you can download here, is 'Taking Stock of the Method' [http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/hlc-taking-stock-of-the-method/] . The report explores the development of the HLC approach and methodology up till 2002. It is accompanied by a companion volume 'HISTORIC LANDSCAPE CHARACTERISATION: TEMPLATE PROJECT DESIGN' that was put together shortly after the report in 2002.
