Research Questions

In a recent publication by Paul Gilding, The Great Disruption (2011) he stated that “science says we have physically entered a period of great change, a synchronized, related crash of the economy and the ecosystem, with food shortages, climate catastrophes, massive economic change, and global geopolitical instability. It has been forecast for decades and the moment has now arrived.” 

There is no doubt that the current myriad of landscape traumas, whether in the guise of economic, environmental, political, climate or social crisis are resulting in destabilized global and local environments. Hurricanes, conflict, floods, unemployment, full landfill sites, rising fuel costs, shop closures, housing repossessions etc all have detrimental impacts on our landscape, environment and ultimately quality of life, now and for future generations. Whilst it all indicates towards a depressing future, out of crisis comes opportunity.

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” 

Charles R. Swindoll, 1934

Crisis could be seen as the catalyst for a new approach towards rural and urban design, with the role of landscape architecture at the forefront. Landscapes are operating in new destabilized conditions, where increasingly extreme and unpredictable elements are interacting with our environments. Landscapes are emerging out of disaster and more resilient and adaptable approaches are required to ensure that sustainable futures are achieved.

This thesis intends to explore what landscapes are emerging out of crisis and the role of landscape architecture in achieving more stable economic, environmental and social conditions.

The thesis will investigate responses to landscapes in crisis and the challenges that they bring. A crisis instigates a need for a greater understanding of the landscape and an increased awareness of the environmental impacts we place upon it. From this position of greater understanding how can we re-evaluate and re-approach post traumatic landscapes to give them a value and identify what new relationships and systems may emerge as a consequence.