Unit 02
12—15 | Unit 02

What Does the Landscape Consist of?

Landscape encompasses all we see, from homes to forests, fields, and roads. It includes both beautiful and degraded areas, forming a complex mix of natural and human-made elements that change in shape, colour, and size over time due to human actions, natural processes, and climate changes.

Content

Why does the landscape matter to us? What are we talking about? The landscape is not just a background, a scenery framed by an observation point, but a system to which we all belong. As we shall see, It does not concern only a single object but rather a system made of different connected elements.
Although we could have our idea or a conformed one to something heard or a specific vision about what the landscape should look like, Landscape is not that which is beautiful. The landscape is everything, that which is beautiful and that which is degraded. It permeates cities, industrial zones and agricultural areas cultivated intensively or extensively. It is everywhere. The landscape is - according to the European Landscape Convention (ELC, 2001)- an area as perceived by people and produced by human intervention over time. Among the several meanings of the term (and there are many, it is a polysemous concept), the landscape is a political concept that refers to the shared part of a land, or rather that part which belongs to all members of the community. A group of people who, more or less sincerely, feel a common sense of responsibility towards those places, that specific landscape. On the one hand, the modern concept of landscape focuses on the perception of the “external observer”, on the other hand on the importance of landscape as a witness of history, culture, wisdom, technology, and the meaning that generations have attributed to it over time.
Based on these considerations, the Didactic Unit is aimed to

  • Refine the understanding of what is landscape, as a follow-up to Unit 1
  • Understand the elements of a landscape
  • Ability to identify the causes of creation and transformation over time
  • Correlate climatic and landscape issues to understand the dynamics of cause-effect
  • Understand that the natural landscape and the green system are some of the best weapons against the impacts of climate change
  • Become aware that the landscape is the result of a transformation process and/or a project, planned by humans.

 

  • Identifying the different types of landscape (shapes, seasonal colours, actors, elements)
  • Recognizing that everybody perceives the landscape in a particular and unique way 
  • Acknowledging that the landscape can offer sensations and inspire emotions in themselves and others
  • Using “basic” digital tools for educational and cognitive purposes (geo-informatics maps)
  • Understanding the importance of the observation scale (spatial, geographical, local, according to the single object) and the position of the landscape (from above, from inside, in perspective, etc.) 
  • Ability to describe and identify the different elements of the landscape 
  • Development of skills and techniques for drawing landscapes and external environment 
  • Understanding the landscape transformations and ability to relate its historical and spatial evolution 
  • Understanding the space/time dynamic feature of the landscape 
  • Developing a critical approach to identify vulnerabilities, critical issues, and potentials of landscape 
  • Acknowledging the singularity of each type of landscape 
  • Understanding the relationships between anthropic and natural systems: from local impacts to global effects 
  • Imagining and planning future solutions in terms of sustainability and climate change adaptation 

Over the last few decades, a shift in mindset (from the concept of beauty to that of the common good) has occurred. It must continue, adapting to the times for greater awareness of living places and new needs, like climate instability adaptation. The territorial-landscape structure acts as a shield, protecting against climate change impacts (heavy rain, rising temperatures, coastal erosion, etc.) and pollutants from human activities. The landscape performs technical and performance functions for human well-being and territorial security. We suggest studying awareness projects on landscape issues using simple geospatial maps.

Activities

Students identify landscape features (shapes, seasonal colours, elements) and types (natural, rural, urban) across diverse environments (coastal, plains, mountains) and climates (forest, desert, etc.) using analog and digital tools.

Students connect personal emotions to different landscapes, identifying shapes, colours, character, and elements, while recognizing how landscapes evoke emotions in oneself and others.

Students develop drawing skills for landscapes and understand observation scales and perspectives.

Students explore landscape drawing skills on-site and experience the space/time dynamics of landscapes during field trips using maps, drawing tools, and photos.

Students explore landscape transformations, historical/spatial evolution, and identify critical issues and potentials via satellite maps, Google Earth Timelapse, and more.

Students engage in a role-play as decision-makers to grasp local to global impacts, identify landscape vulnerabilities, and devise sustainable climate adaptation solutions.

Students explore the relationships between human and natural systems, envisioning sustainable climate adaptation solutions through creating text and visual content.