Soundscapes

Josep Cerdà i Ferrer
Professor of Sculpture at the Universitat de Barcelona (UB) and coordinator of the PaisatgesonorUB Group (Laboratori d'Art Sonor at the UB School of Fine Arts

The landscape speaks. Our ears receive constant information, and sound influences our perception of reality. Everything around us emits constant messages which accumulate and make up our acoustic memory.

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New digital soundscape dossier

Landscapes have traditionally been associated to sight; however, sound, small, taste and touch can also be as or more important than sight when experimenting and living a given landscape. Based on this idea, the Catalan Landscape Observatory has created a digital dossier on soundscapes available in Catalan, Spanish, English and French, a dossier which can be easily updated due to its digital format. Compiling this dossier has three objectives: inform about soundscapes, their diversity and importance; gather, classify and organise the main information available on Internet to make it easier to consult; and become a reference on soundscapes for both specialists and the general public. This dossier stems from the Catalan Soundscapes Conference organised by the Catalan Landscape Observatory, Fundació Bosch i Gimpera/Universitat de Barcelona and Obra Social de Caixa de Catalunya held in November 2008 at the Barcelona Contemporary Culture Centre (CCCB).

Registration to be opened soon for the ''International Seminar on Fringes. Landscapes of the Periphery''

On upcoming September 15th, registration opens for the "International Seminar on Fringes. Landscapes of the Periphery." The detailed programme for this event can be consulted here. This seminar will be held in Olot (Girona) on November 11th and 12th, 2010, and is organised by the Catalan Landscape Observatory in collaboration with the European Network of Local and Regional Authorities (RECEP-ENELC) and the City of Olot's Culture Institute (ICCO). Speakers cover a wide variety of fields, including Geography, Sociology, Architecture, Art, Music and Literature. Together, they will attempt to propose new ways of intervening and managing these transitional areas between different territorial realities, providing new landscape references and untraditional, alternative readings. The seminar also includes a series of parallel activities to complement the speakers' presentations.

The DPTOP and the Catalan Landscape Observatory publish the book, Catàleg de paisatge. Les Terres de Lleida

The Government of Catalonia's Ministry of Town and Country Planning and Public Works (DPTOP) and the Landscape Observatory of Catalonia have jointly published the book Catàleg de paisatge. Les Terres de Lleida ("Landscape Catalogue. Lands of Lleida"). This represents the first of seven catalogues that the Landscape Observatory has prepared and presented to the DPTOP, concretely on October 31st, 2006. At the same time, it is the first landscape catalogue approved by the Government of Catalonia on September 10th, 2008 (by virtue of the Edict published on that same date). The book is 530 pages long and represents the diversity and wealth of the landscapes in this area, its value, its threats and opportunities. The numerous photos accompanying the text belong, amongst others, to renowned photographers such as Oriol Alamany, Jordi Bas, Ernest Costa and Rafael López-Monné. Further information about this book is available here.

Definitive approval of the Camp de Tarragona Landscape Catalogue

On May 24th, the Government of Catalonia definitively approved the Camp de Tarragona Landscape Catalogue, the second of seven catalogues being prepared by the Catalan Landscape Observatory. This catalogue was approved by virtue of Edict of May 28th, 2010, based on a resolution by the Ministry of Town and Country Planning and Public Works to definitively approve the Camp de Tarragona Landscape Catalogue. The content of this catalogue can be consulted on the Landscape Observatory's website. The Landscape Observatory forwarded the Camp de Tarragona Landscape Catalogue to the Ministry of Town and Country Planning and Public Works (DPTOP) on October 31st, 2006 and the DPTOP made it available to public commentary and consultation from July 31st to October 31st, 2007.

Call for the 3rd Mediterranean Landscape Award now open

The Government of Catalonia, through the PAYS.MED.URBAN project in which it participates along with other European regions, is jointly working on this call to select diverse landscape plans, programmes, projects, work and communication activities to be included in the catalogue of good landscape practices while opting, at the same time, for the 3rd Mediterranean Landscape Award. Submissions should address one or more of the following six subject blocks: the existence of a sufficient number of well-managed urban spaces, with special attention to agriculture in transitional areas; the offering of well-designed areas in terms of landscape to attract new companies or economic sectors; the visual quality of access to urban areas; landscape integration in new residential areas within transitional areas; the visual and environmental quality of peri-urban areas; and, lastly, the protection and improvement of urban identity and image. The deadline to present candidatures is July 31st, 2010. For further information, please contact the Government of Catalonia's Ministry of Town and Country Planning and Public Works.

The magazine, Descobrir Catalunya, continues exploring Catalan landscapes

The Catalan Landscape Observatory continues to collaborate with the section "El paisatge del mes" ("Landscape of the month") in the magazine Descobrir Catalunya. This initiative aims to inform about a selection of 135 different landscape units in Catalonia. Landscapes highlighted thus far include the Altiplà de la Terra Alta (Terres de l'Ebre), in May, 2010; Terraprims (Comarques Gironines), in June; and the Conca d'Alforja-Vilaplana (Camp de Tarragona), in July. Descobrir Catalunya is a monthly magazine which has been offering special reports on different towns and areas throughout Catalonia, the Autonomous Community of Valencia and the Balearic Islands since 1997.

6th International Conference on Territorial Planning

On October 27th, 28th and 29th the 6th International Conference on Territorial Planning (VI Congreso Internacional de Ordenación del Territorio, VI CIOT) will be held at the Navarra Congress Hall and Auditorium in Pamplona. Organised by Fundicot, this conference has been held periodically since 1989. This edition's objective is to provide a space for debate on the need to find new means of intervention to adapt territorial models, cities, the economy, infrastructures and landscape to the new demands arising from the current global crisis and its consequences, as well as demands from an increasingly globalised society and from the fact that the ability to transform it is increasingly conditioned by external circumstances. The conference's specific subject blocks are: 1) experiences and good governance practices in territorial planning; new challenges arising from the crisis; 2) cities and global change; towards a new territorial paradigm; 3) interior and coastal tourism and the impact of vacation homes on territorial development; the need to adapt basic sectors of our economy; 4) rural development and biosphere reserves; the hope for new horizons; 5) landscape and territorial heritage; values to be developed and preserved; and 6) infrastructures and territory; the need for change to encourage effectiveness and efficiency in territorial production capital. The deadline to send proposals for presentations is September 15th, 2010. This conference is sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs and the Ministry of Housing, and the Governments of Catalonia, Navarre, the Basque Country and Asturias.

New landscape integration guide

The Ministry of Town and Country Planning and Public Works (DPTOP) has published a new guide entitled Guia d'integració paisatgística de les construccions agràries ("Guide to Agrarian Construction Landscape Integration"). Edited jointly with the Illustrious College of Agricultural Engineers and Agricultural Technical Experts of Catalonia and the Fundació Agrícola Catalana, this guide aims to serve as a practical reference to orientate landscape improvement projects affecting agrarian constructions. It addresses issues such as the reconciliation between functional concerns and landscape in order to achieve better cared for and more competitive rural areas. It consists of four chapters: general landscape integration issues; a diagnosis of common problems with agrarian constructions and guiding criteria; management issues; and 10 key ideas as a synthesis. It also includes various annex documents with recommendations on material, finishes, and plant species, amongst others. You can consult the full guide here.

The educational project City, Territory, Landscape in municipalities with a landscape charter

The City, Territory, Landscape project is innovative at both the Catalan and European levels. It's aimed at secondary school students and teachers in Catalonia, and its objective is to raise knowledge about Catalan landscape heritage and student's awareness about the need to protect landscape values and the impact human actions have on the territory. The teaching materials consist of three elements: a folder with 12 wall charts representing the diversity of landscapes found in Catalonia; the City, Territory, Landscape website with interactive activities, and an online teaching guide which orientates teachers and provides them the necessary tools to work with their students, track their progress and evaluate them. The project is the result of a collaborative effort between the Government of Catalonia's Ministry of Town and Country Planning and Public Works and Ministry of Education and the Catalan Landscape Observatory. Since early 2010, the Government of Catalonia with support from the Landscape Observatory is fomenting the project's implementation in areas where landscape charters are being created, in particular the Vall de Camprodon Association of Municipalities, Priorat, Alt Empordà, Penedès and the Vall del Tenes Association of Municipalities.

Presentations at the 1st Insular Conference on Landscapes

Last February 24th and 25th the 1st Insular Conference on Landscape (Jornadas Insulares del Paisaje) was held in Tenerife, entitled Situación y oportunitades del paisaje de Tenerife ("Status of Tenerife landscapes and opportunities"). This conference was divided into four sessions, a roundtable discussion and two applied sessions. Topics included the conceptual and legal landscape framework in Tenerife and Spain as a whole, social landscape management, territorial custody, landscape characteristics, numerous examples of landscape protection and management in Tenerife and urban and transitional zone landscape improvement. The conferences' various documents can be consulted here.

The Cultural Landscape Foundation

Non-profit-making foundation which works to increase public awareness of the importance of the legacy of cultural landscapes, so as to preserve the heritage for future generations.