Cultural Values of Landscape

Landscape is a complex term. Planning acknowledges the importance of landscape, but how landscape is understood and what best practices are for assessing landscape is unclear, especially with regard to the more intangible aspects of landscape, for example, the cultural values of a landscape. There is a need to investigate ways of indentifying cultural values of landscape. Furthermore, landscapes are dynamic and complex, with variable scale and dimensions. A holistic approach to landscape is favoured in most current landscape research, where the whole is more than the sum of its elements. Within the New Zealand planning system landscapes are deemed important but definition and method to investigate landscape remain limited. The Cultural Values Model, created by Janet Stephenson provides a conceptualisation of landscape that accounts for interactions between dimensions of landscape, particularly space and time. In the model, forms, practices and relationships all interact to produce surface values. Forms, practices and relationships also interact across time to create embedded values of landscape. The model has the advantage that it includes a strong temporal scale, something that is often given limited attention in other models. This thesis aims to determine whether the Cultural Values Model provides a holistic approach that might have general applicability within planning in this country. A case study of Cardrona, New Zealand is used test the model. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were undertaken with local farmers, residents and resource management professionals in order to ascertain the values held for the Cardrona landscape. The results provide rich information about the Cardrona landscape, and reveal interactions, supporting the use of the Cultural Values Model. Cardrona has a landscape category of ‘Outstanding Natural Landscape’ assigned to it through the planning process. However, there are many issues associated with that landscape category. The Cardrona landscape is dynamic and has been significantly modified over time. Thus the intention and meaning of Outstanding Natural Landscape has been questioned. The results offered insight into the issues of such labels and how they effect ‘successful’ planning of landscape. Planning is inherently focused on the future. A focus on the future landscape of Cardrona came through strongly in the key informant interviews. In light of this, a modification to the Cultural Values Model is proposed that has future values included