Landscape and public spaces
Chapter 1: What is landscape?
Green urban spaces: provides opportunities for recreational land use, an ecological framework and
in many ways, it is a functional body of the city.
The term landscape originated in the visual arts of Dutch painters, as they drew Dutch outdoor
views, around 1600 other languages used it as well.
Landscape of reclamation: with town, some linear and cultural elements, improved crops and
cultural landscape patters.
Landscape of facts: it’s an area of mixed agrarian land use, and symbolizes the biggest village of the
island and it’s hunting area.
Landscape of observations: dramatic deformed trees, buildings accentuate the air above the
horizon, flat landscape with ditches and intensive land use.
Landscape of emotions: innocent landscape with a religious feeling, temptation is symbolized by a
disappearing path and an aversion of the simple 17 th century farm life.
The Dutch landscape has always been man-made, since the 16 th century. This can be seen in all
landscape paintings during the years.
Lots of different definitions of landscape have a few things in common:
There’s a part of the earth surface where abiotic, biotic and human influence interplay.
The recognisability and observability by men of this part of the surface matters.
Without human influence there is no landscape; there is partly human interventions and the humans
perception is also important.
Landscape with a durable quality and identity has 3 requirements (the 3 E’s):
Landscape must be aesthetically valuable.
It should function in an ecologically proper way.
It should have a good economic basis.
Frits Palmboom describes 6 features of a landscape:
Outstreched: rarely seen as a part.
Dynamic: marked by time.
Two-sided: everyday – sublime and nature – culture.
Partly design driven.
Material: unruly.
Specific: fixed to a certain location.
Nature of landscape matrix: In
land use terms this means:
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,These 2 matrixes give 4 types of landscape:
Authentic landscapes: the historical cultural landscapes. Combination between human
influence and territory familiar (native influenced).
Artificial landscapes: have a strong geometric lay-out. Combination between human
influence and territory unfamiliar (foreign influenced).
Idyllic landscapes: an ideal image of untouched nature exists. Combination between natural
influence and territory unfamiliar.
Natural landscapes: belont to the local genus as of that on site. Combination between
natural influence and territory familiar.
The 5 images of nature:
Functional image: nature is fully controlled and maintenance is important. City and
landscape are strongly divided. Prefered by farmers.
Arcadian image: more idyllic with authentic farmhouses and small-sclaed intimate landscape
with stron historical qualites. Prefered by older townspeople. City and landscape are divided.
Wilderness image: no human influence, extreme version of the arcadian image. Ecologists
and nature freaks have this ideal image of nature. City and landscape are divided.
Technological image: technological elements share the landscape with nature. Mostly
prefered by people nowadays. Landscape and city intertwine.
Interactive image: nature is used for recreation and consumption, there is an active
relationship with nature. E.g. climbing a tree, swim in the river. Landscape and city connect.
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, Chapter 2: Climat, geology and soil
A moderate and moist climate
The Netherlands has a moderate marine climate. In the Köppen-Trewartha system it has code Cbf:
C: a rainy climate with midlw inters, the coolest month above 0˚C but below 18˚C, warmest
month above 10˚C.
B: warmest month below 22˚C.
F: constantly moist, rainfall in the driest month is at least 60 mm.
Another characteristic of moderate marine climates is wind. This climate has no rain season and an
average rainfall of 800 mm but that is slowly increasing to 1000 mm. Temperature differences occur
between the sand and non-sand landscapes, this is warmer. This climate can have extremes. Average
growth period for crops (>5˚C) is 270 for central, 255 for northern and 285 days for southern
Netherlands.
Micro climates: areas with different circumstances that could result into their ‘own’ climate. (e.g.
the climate in a forest).
The urban micro climate is important for architects and urban designers. It is usually hotter, more
exposed to wind and they have problems with water.
The city is an urban heat island (UHI) because of 4 reasons:
Stony materials: these absorb heat, which means that the heat lingers in the city for longer.
Cities generate heat: heating systems, traffic and activities.
Air pollution: impedes radation and creates a local greenhouse effect.
Small amount of evaporation: related to a big percentage of non-evaporation surfaces.
Cities are comparable with rock formations, specific ecotypes for rocks are also found in cities. UHI
also attract more rainfall, the ascending movements of the wind and the existence of numerous
condensation and freezing nuclei within the city tend for more precipitation (neerslag) than within
the surrounding landscapes. However, due to immediate draining of this precipitation the humidity
is lower in cites than in urban areas. Due to the higher temperature levels above cities, a local low
pressure area is created in the city; it’s windy. Urban parks in city mainly function as a damping
effect. The most important effect of parks is cleaning the air. Ponds contribute to the urban water
system and as store for excessive rainfall.
A short geological history
Most parts of The Netherlands are covered with sand or clay soils, only Limburg has rock soils, and
some parts have loess. The Netherlands is relatively young in geological terms.
Geological timeline of the Netherlands:
Carboniferous (280 M BC): coal basin in southern Limburg formed.
Mesozoic, Cretaceous (65 M BC): limestone rock formations in southern Limburg.
Tertiary, Pliocene (2 M BC): rock uplift cases ridges and trenches, e.g. Peel trench.
Quarterny, Pleistocene (10,000 BC): Saalien Ice Age causes moraine ridges (stuwwallen) in
east and central Netherlands, also delivers the stones for dolmen (Hunebedden).
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