Cartography and landscape

Carme Montaner
Director of the Map Library, Cartographic Institute of Catalonia

Upon reading the recent publication of presentations given at the seminar, "Challenges in Mapping the Landscape: Territorial Dynamics and Intangible Values", organised by the Landscape Observatory, it is clear that we need to rethink the concept of maps and their function in our society, at least their role these last two centuries. Inexorable technological progress has allowed for millimetric precision in today's maps. And this isn't just a question of Internet which offers us the possibility of creating, combining and sharing a large amount of information with some sort of geographical reference.

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New seminar on food and landscape at Món Sant Benet (Barcelona)

The Landscape Observatory of Catalonia has organised a seminar to be held on December 12th and 13th, 2013, at Món Sant Benet (Sant Fruitós del Bages) entitled: "Landscape + Food + Creativity + Identity", in collaboration with Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera and Fundació Alícia. The aim of this seminar is to learn more about and share some of the most interesting experiences in the field of creative food as an expression of a place's identity and that of its landscape. The seminar proposes an in-depth debate on the existing relation between landscape, food, creativity and identity as a means to find a solid and coherent end to one of the worst systemic crises ever suffered by our society and economy. You can consult the agenda here.

Challenges in landscape cartography, the Observatory's new publication

The Observatory has recently published a new book on landscapes and cartography. It is the third volume in the series "Tools" in the "Landscape Documents" collection. It includes the results from the seminar entitled, "Challenges in Mapping the Landscape: Territorial Dynamics and Intangible Values", held on September 29th and 30th, 2011, in Tortosa. The book focuses on maps, leaving aside other ways of representing landscapes, and the challenges landscape cartography represents in terms of reflecting territorial dynamics and intangible values. The book will be officially presented on November 21st, at 7.00 pm in the Pi i Sunyer Hall at the IEC (Institute of Catalan Studies). The ceremony will include participation by Carme Montaner, Director of the Cartographic Institute of Catalonia's Map Library.

New website dedicated to landscapes and the local world

The Landscape Observatory of Catalonia is highly aware of the importance landscape has at the local level. It thus recently launched its new website dedicated to landscape at the local level. This new space serves to gather, classify and order a selection of the main experiences around Europe on the promotion of landscapes locally, making them available to town halls, communities, local entities, specialised experts and the general public. Its aim is to become a reference on all that related to landscapes at the local level.

The Observatory's website includes a gallery of Jorge Yeregui's images

The Landscape Observatory's website incorporated a gallery of images belonging to the photographer, Jorge Yeregui. Amongst other things, his photos address human intervention in natural spaces, the effects of the current crisis on landscapes, and architectural details. Yeregui's gallery joins those dedicated to Carlos Albalá and Ignasi López, Jordi Bernadó, Rafael López-Monné and Aleix Plademunt which have been available on the website for several months. From the outset, the Landscape Observatory has seen photography as an other means to provide information, communicate and raise awareness about landscape policies.

The Observatory analyses the rediscovery of landscape from the local level in an international seminar

In collaboration with the Government of Andorra, the Landscape Observatory organised the international seminar entitled "Rediscovering Landscape from the Local Level" held in Olot on September 26th and 27th. The premise of this event was that the local world increasingly sees landscape as the driver for its development and as a means to increase self-esteem, identity and quality of life for citizens. In this respect, the objective was to learn about and share some of the most interesting experiences in the landscape field at the local level both in Catalonia and in Europe as a whole. The Observatory took advantage of this seminar to present its new website dedicated to landscapes and the local world as well as a study on this question in Europe prepared jointly with the Government of Andorra.

The Landscape Observatory advises the Swedish region, Västra-Götaland, on landscape policies

The Landscape Observatory of Catalonia will collaborate with the Swedish region Västra-Götaland defining their landscape policies. This is one of the results of the Catalan organisation's participation at the Scandinavian Landscape Forum organised by the European network, Civilscape, in the city of Mariestad from September 12th to 14th. The Observatory's Coordinator, Pere Sala, gave two presentations at this event. The first served to present the work carried out by the Landscape Observatory, while the second analysed civil society participation in landscape policies.

The Landscape Observatory Director summoned to the Parliament of Catalonia

On October 2nd, the Director of the Landscape Observatory of Catalonia, Joan Nogué, appeared before an ordinary session of the Territory and Sustainability Committee in the Catalan Parliament to explain the Observatory's activity. Worth noting is the unanimous interest in the Observatory's activities amongst all the parliamentary groups. His presentation can be seen in the following video.

The Coastal Plan for Galicia, award winner of the 12th Biannual Spanish Architecture and Urban Planning Awards

The Coastal Plan promoted by the Government of Galicia was recognised with one of the 15 prizes given at the 12th Biannual Spanish Architecture and Urban Planning Awards. This plan encompasses 210,000 hectares of coastline and establishes the general norms governing their urban planning based on sustainability criteria. The Plan also includes a new norm to guarantee its preservation, protection and appreciation. This same Plan had previously received special mention by the United Nations as an example of a "good practice".

Yves Luginbühl, recipient of the Édouard Bonnefous Award

Yves Luginbühl, Emeritus Director of Research at the National Scientific Research Centre of France (CNRS) and co-author of the European Landscape Convention, was recently named recipient of the Édouard Bonnefous Award granted by the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences for his work La mise en scènce du monde. The award ceremony will be held in November.

Result of the 5th seminar of European Landscape Observatories in Careggi: the Charter for the Establishment of the Coordination of European Landscape Observatories

As a result of the 5th international seminar organised by UNISCAPE under the title "Landscape Observatories in Europe: From ELC Recommendations to Local Initiatives 2000-2013" held this past June, participants drafted and signed the Charter for the Establishment of the Coordination of European Landscape Observatories. Participants agreed on the importance of landscape observatories and their coordination to fully apply the European Landscape Convention and the need to draft a brief text which counted on support from the Council of Europe to create landscape observatories and research centres all over Europe.

Collaboration between the Observatory and the 6th Architecture and Landscape Workshop

The BUNKA Foundation organised its 6th Architecture and Landscape Workshop this past August. Sixty-two architects and students from nineteen countries took part in this edition. The international workshop included different activities and presentations, broadening the focus of this event. Presenters included Joan Nogué, Director of the Landscape Observatory, with a presentation entitled "The reencounter with place".

Collaboration with two exhibitions 'La fi dels dies' and 'Andar-i-Ego'

The Landscape Observatory is collaborating with two exhibitions organised by the Lluís Coromina Foundation in Banyoles. The first of these is dedicated to Yurian Quintanas and entitled, "La fi dels dies" ("The end of days"). This exhibition focuses on the rural territory in the counties around the city of Girona, the landscape and its inhabitants. Quintanas proposes a reflection on the existing relation between people and nature which, according to the author, is an increasingly distant one. The exhibition will be open to the public from October 12th to November 23rd. The second exhibit is entitled "Andar-i-Ego" ("Walk and the ego") and is dedicated to Pep Mata. The latter offers images of paths and trails along the eastern and central parts of the Pyrenees. These routes retrace the horizon in a search for elements in their purest state, from the primordial sounds of nature to the resonance of their origin. The exhibit will be open to the public from November 30th, to January 25th, 2014.

The Observatory signs a collaborative agreement with IFLA Americas and the Latin American Landscape Initiative (LALI)

The Observatory recently signed a collaborative agreement with the Americas section of the International Federation of Landscape Architects and the Latin American Landscape Initiative (LALI). This agreement comes after the Catalan organisation was invited to the launch of the LALI initiative in 2012 in the Colombian city of Medellín coinciding with the Congress, Bordes, Paisajes en Alerta ("Fringes: Landscapes on Alert"). The Latin American organisation is highly interested in the Catalan experience with a view to possibly creating a Latin American Landscape Observatory which would serve to define measures to monitor and evaluate landscape policies. This is one of LALI's star projects.

The Observatory signs an agreement with the Argentine Landscape Network

The Landscape Observatory of Catalonia has just signed a collaborative agreement with the Buenos Aires node of the Argentine Landscape Network (RAP). The latter consists of thirteen hubs around the country. Their objective is to protect, manage and classify Argentine landscapes. The agreement between both entities is the result of months of joint work. The Landscape Observatory of Catalonia already participated in the 2011 RAP conference, "Landscapes in Urban Peripheries. Problems and Potential". It has also participated in various videoconferences regarding the creation of local observatories in Argentina.

4th Penedès Art and Landscape Congress presents its conclusions

Organisers of the 4th Penedès Art and Landscape Congress held last June decided that participants (both speakers and audience) should be able to contribute their ideas through the website and e-mail. These ideas have now been analysed and represent the conclusions of the Congress. There are 11 conclusions total which will be incorporated into the next edition of the Congress to be held in 2015. These conclusions can be read here.

Community-Led Village Design Statements in Ireland

Guide to undertaking a community-led Village Design Statement (VDS) in Ireland by the Heritage Council.

Arqueología del paisaje: análisis de los paisajes históricos

Website managed by the research group Toponymy, History and Archaeology of the Kingdom of Granada, aimed at discussing on the present day landscape as seen through history.

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