The landscape discipline at global level: analysis of the current standards and specifications

Abstract

In the last few years, matters regarding landscape architecture (and the intervention in the landscape and protection of it) have given rise to considerable interest both within administrations and professionals in the fields of architecture and engineering, and also among the general population. Continuous urban expansion in territories poses a problem for its integration with the landscape, and highlights the need to preserve landscapes of cultural value, to recover others transformed by industrial activities, and to regulate the use of natural areas of landscape quality. However, nowadays, few countries have specific regulations that may serve as a reference for these kinds of projects. There are only twelve countries among more than 160 members of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Committee that have passed standards regarding the landscape. The absence of standardization is harmful in two ways: in the environmental sense (ecosystems and biodiversity) and in the social sense (culture, history, and the economy). On the other hand, there exists an extensive professional sector dedicated to the landscape, yet the lack of professionalization in its activities hinders free movement in searches for work abroad. For that reason, the purpose of this article is to study the standardization of the landscape and landscaping at an international level, providing a global vision of international regulations. Thirty-one state-of-the-art normative documents related to landscape have been found. This study deals with the current standards and the specifications developed by the national committees of standardization (ISO members) throughout the world. The normative documents identified during research and the public bodies that issue them are shown, and the structure and content of each one are analyzed. That is to say, first, the texts found may be grouped into two main approaches: standards/countries that focus more on landscape or nature conservation vs. those that focus more on planning. On the other hand, the documents are grouped according to four main themes: terminology and definitions of the landscape, the landscaping profession, rules for intervention in the landscape, and landscape protection measures. The standardization applied to the landscape is translated into the definition of a series of guidelines for action that allows minimization of the impact of our actions on the landscape, and that favors a better use of resources. The standardization of the landscape could be especially useful to those countries that, due to their high scenic quality landscapes, would obtain great benefits if they developed landscape norms. Nevertheless, standardization could favor any country since those with high landscape quality will do all they can to maintain said quality, and those countries that have landscapes in danger of deterioration, landscapes that are already deteriorated, or low quality landscapes will advocate for policies that contribute to the recovery of natural spaces.