In many ways the history of civilization is a history of humans relationship with nature. Starting from the dual inclination to clear land for cultivation and to enclose space for protection the forest clearing and the walled garden there emerges a vital and multifaceted narrative that describes our cultural relationship to, and dependence on, the landscape. Christophe Girot sets out to chronicle this history, drawing on all aspects of mankind s creativity and ingenuity. In twelve chapters, he brings together the key stories that have shaped our man-made landscapes. Each chapter consists of a thematic essay that ties together the central developments, as well as a case study illustrated with specially commissioned photographs and meticulously detailed 3D re creations showing the featured site in its original context.

The result of over two decades of teaching experience and academic research at one of the world s leading universities, The Course of Landscape Architecture will reach international students and professionals. But its wealth of visual material, the wide range of its cultural references and the beauty of the landscapes it features will attract the interest of all who desire to enrich their understanding of how our landscapes have been formed, and how we relate to them. "

How can an abstract term like "Topology" become pertinent and effective to landscape thinking today? There is a schism between the way landscape is understood scientifically, either as a normative network or an environmental system, and the way the same place exists emotionally for people. This disparity which prevails in today's landscape calls for a change of approach, both in terms of action and perception. Topology, in this instance, is not confined to the science of continuous surfaces in mathematics, it can pay greater attention to deeper spatial, physical, poetic and philosophical values embedded in a long tradition of designed nature. The strength of landscape topology is that it can weave together and integrate heterogeneous fields of action into a single meaningful whole. It brings disciplines together on a common topological "vellum" capable of improving our understanding of landscape as a cultural construct with all its inherent beauty and strength.

Dieter Kienast (1945-1998) is a key Swiss figure in European landscape architecture. Amidst a striking change in the relationship between society and nature in the 1970s, he sought a synthesis between design and ecology. As a designer, planner, researcher, and university lecturer, Kienast introduced new facets to those fields. Critiques of urban planning, processes of participation, and the significance of spontaneous urban vegetation played just as prominent a role in these discussions as did art, literature, architecture, and the popularity of postmodernism. This book not only vividly deconstructs the ways in which design, theory, and representation are interwoven in Kienast's work, but also sheds light on a specific period of landscape architecture.

Auf vielfaltige Art und Weise ist die Geschichte der Zivilisation eine Geschichte der Beziehung der Menschen zur Natur. Angefangen beim gegensatzlichen Umgang mit Land - einerseits Raum gewinnend fur den Ackerbau, andererseits Land gestaltend um Raum zum Schutz abzugrenzen - hat Christophe Girot sich auf den Weg gemacht, diese Entwicklung aufzuzeichnen: Er erzahlt von unserer kulturellen Verbindung zu aber auch unserer Abhangigkeit von der Landschaft. In 12 Kapiteln tragt er die Schlusselereignisse zusammen, die unsere Landschaft geformt haben. Dabei fokussiert jedes Kapitel auf ein Thema und beschreibt die Entwicklungen und ein Projektbeispiel: Mit speziell angefertigten Fotografien und 3D-Gestaltungen wird der entsprechende Ort in seinem ursprunglichen Kontext nachvollziehbar. Die Vielzahl an kulturellen Bezugspunkten und die Besonderheiten der Landschaften sensibilisiert unser Verstandnis dafur, wie wir unsere Umwelt geformt haben und in welcher Beziehung wir zu ihr stehen.