Sustainable landscape architecture: implications of the Chinese philosophy of ‘‘unity of man with nature’’ and beyond |
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Authors: | Xiangqiang Chen Jianguo Wu |
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Institution: | (1) College of Life Science, Zhejiang University, 310058 Hangzhou, China;(2) School of Life Sciences and Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA;(3) Sino-US Center for Conservation, Energy, and Sustainability (SUCCESS), Inner Mongolia University, 010021 Hohhot, China |
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Abstract: | As the world population continues to grow and as global urbanization continues to unfold, our ecosystems and landscapes will
be increasingly domesticated and designed. Developing and maintaining sustainable landscapes have become one of the most challenging
and imperative tasks for scientists and stakeholders of all sorts. To accomplish this task, landscape ecology and landscape
architecture can and must play a critical role. Landscape architects intentionally modify and create landscapes, and their
imprints and influences are pervasive and profound, far beyond the physical limits of the designed landscapes. As an interdisciplinary
and transdisciplinary enterprise that integrates the science and art of studying and influencing the relationship between
spatial pattern and ecological processes, the theory, methods, and applications of landscape ecology are directly relevant
to sustainability. However, neither landscape ecology nor landscape architecture is likely to achieve its expected goal if
they are not truly integrated to produce a sustainable landscape architecture. In this paper, we argue that the ancient Chinese
philosophy of “unity of man with nature” and its associated design principles can provide useful guidelines for this integration
as well as for the development of a sustainable landscape architecture. We discuss several principles and models of Chinese
landscape architecture, including “unity of man with nature” philosophy, “peach blossom spring” ideal, “world-in-a-pot” model,
and Feng–Shui theory, and their implications for developing a sustainable landscape architecture. Although differences in
the philosophical roots and design traditions between Eastern and Western landscape architecture will continue to exist, interactions
and integration between the two will continue to increase under the theme of sustainability. To promote the translation of
scientific knowledge into practice, we urge landscape ecologists to work proactively with landscape architects to integrate
pattern–process–scale and holistic perspectives into the design and planning of landscapes. |
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