Author(s)

G. Aponte García

Abstract

Landscape is more than a beautiful sight. Landscape is widely known as the integrated perception of the outdoors environment; this is to say, the awareness of the daily habitat, or the result of the interaction between natural forces and human activity. The purpose here is to point out how a wise understanding and managing of the landscape phenomena largely contributes to a sustainable city. An attitude towards nature that reduces it to seize the goodness of immediate material resources and waste disposal facilities, or to satisfy inconvenient alien aesthetics has led to a divorce between urban inhabitants and natural local processes and expressions. Therefore, society has been called to produce other kind of energy in order to replace or compensate the wasted natural one, with the delusion of being sustainable.

Since the progressive transformation of landscape may be perceived, lived and breathed by residents in urban settlements it might be valued, regulated and planned by them as well, providing a tangible and practical meaning of sustainability based on a sense of place. A considerable part of the professional work originated from the landscape thinking and knowledge can provide a significant contribution towards sustainability. The landscape line of thinking and practice is progressively gaining visibility in Colombia, the path is being built and some achievements about have been got through the Landscape Design Maser program at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. Next steps to follow in the local context are outlined as a conclusion.

Keywords

landscape contribution, urban landscape, sense of place, sustainable landscape