The productive landscape

The purpose of this study is to explore the dimensions and attributes of productive and agricultural landscape in the Persian gardens. The methodology of conducting this study is descriptive-analytical. The data is gathered through library research and interviews, as well as field studies in the six Persian Gardens (Akbariyeh, Rahim Abad, Amir Abad, Bahlgerd, Pahlavanpur, and Shahzadeh). The results, which show the need to provide recreational services for owners, guests and in some cases people, has led to the significant presence of fruitful greenery, even in the governmental gardens. There are various fruit trees in the gardens of Shahzadeh, Amirabad and Pahlavanpur which demonstrate the importance of targeted food products for human consumption as well as animals in the system of designing the traditional green spaces. Promotion the quality of the beauty of inner green scenery of the gardens is other characteristics of agricultural landscape, specifically in Birjand's gardens which the visual landscape system has been created by composition of fruitful and ornamental species. Additionally, attitudes into increasing the efficiency, profitability and self-sufficiency of landscape have been ordered the planting of multipurpose plant species in the Iranian garden design. There are varieties of vegetables and herbs in the garden of Shahzadeh, and fragrant flowers, saffron, plum, pomegranate and fig trees representing in Birjand's garden proving the medicinal properties of productive scenery in addition to their appropriateness to the climate and scarce resources. Throughout history the structural importance of the edible landscape in Persian garden is due to the knowledgeable use of green spaces and landscaping. The combination of ornamental horticulture and fruit farming results in a multi-functional garden. Therefore, the agricultural landscape can be introduced as an indicator to assess the quality of garden management, an efficient tool for assessing the status of agricultural knowledge, gardens health assessment, as well as evaluating the lifestyle and the natural-cultural continuity of a garden to its context which should be considered more by the researchers.

Urban parks can be the future green engines of a self-sufficient urban environment. They may become a productive landscape that merges nature, with a resource-efficient milieu, and a platform for ecological awareness and education. This agro-ecosystem sustains space and the surrounded neighborhoods, with community supported gardening and urban farming, integrating the production of renewable energies, natural water purification and waste management. Tres Turons Park is a strategic green space in the northern part of the city of Barcelona, Spain. The Modification of the Metropolitan Master Plan, approved in January 2009, consolidates the space for an urban public park. This paper evaluates how to design a community self-organized productive landscape in Tres Turons Park, presenting the design methodology and analyzing the results of the workshop taken place at the Faculty of Architecture of Barcelona (UPC), on July 2009, with an international team of students, and professional guests.