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This year, the Landscape Observatory of Catalonia marks two decades of activity since its inception in 2005 to support the landscape policies of the Government of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya) as part of the Law on the Protection, Management and Planning of the Landscape and the European Landscape Convention. Its overarching mission has been to boost knowledge and social involvement in managing and conserving the landscape, integrating it into sectoral and territorial policies.
Over the past 20 years, landscape policy and its lines of action have shown us that there is an intrinsic relationship between urban settlements and open spaces, irrespective of their legal status. As a result, living somewhere today is a richer and more complex experience than residing in a simple built city: the landscape surrounding any urban settlement is fundamental for understanding it and is a subject of territorial and urban planning interest in its own right.
Living somewhere is not only about living there physically, but also about building one’s own mental representation of it. The routes, colours, shapes, smells and sensations that any given place provokes all come together to form our emotional map and build shared values within a community over time. Josep Pla once said that the landscape shapes its inhabitants’ character and way of being, since it is through this intimate connection to the land that emotional and cultural bonds are formed.
Following the enactment of the Law on the Protection, Management and Planning of the Landscape on 8 June 2005, these perceptual elements have been catalogued and recognised as essential components of our landscape in Catalonia. To plan and manage the territory properly, we must understand landscape as an integrated whole, transcending divisions between urban and open spaces or municipal administrative boundaries. This holistic view enables us to tackle current challenges with more adaptive tools and come at them from a broader and more inclusive perspective.
Our future challenges are not only to protect, manage and plan the landscape, but also to convey that it is in constant transformation. The features that we consider characteristic today will evolve, as will our perception of them. This dynamic poses no threat and should instead be seen as an opportunity to shape the landscape according to new values and collective sensitivities.
With the landscape catalogues already in place as a legislative tool, the path forward is clear—we must integrate landscape directives into spatial and urban planning. In doing so, we can continue to choose the most suitable locations and arrangements to ensure a future in balance with the land and its people.
This newsletter aims to be a tool for reflection and guidance throughout this ongoing process, offering perspectives and solutions that help us to understand and engage with the landscape as a key part of our shared present and future.
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