Relaunching the Council of Europe Landscape Convention

The Volta Ciclista a Catalunya is a historical cycling race that is over one hundred years old. Not only is it interesting as a sporting event, but it has become a great way to raise awareness of the diversity and values of the landscapes in Catalonia. The Landscape Observatory of Catalonia has worked together with the Volta to raise awareness of the landscapes at each stage of the route in both the men’s and women’s races. Thus, the “Landscapes of the day” section consists of an informative text with the unique features of the landscape at each stage, a gallery of images from the Landscape Observatory’s Image Archive, a schematic map with the route of each stage and the boundaries and names of the landscapes crossed. Finally, it provides a list of viewpoints near the route. The men’s Volta was held from 24 to 30 March and the women’s will take place from 6 to 8 June.

On 8 May 2025, a seminar will be held at Aula Boca de la Mina in Reus to present the local community of Camp de Tarragona and Terres de l’Ebre with tools and resources to manage and improve the landscape of the urban and rural environment of their municipalities, given the positive impact that the landscape has on economic and social development and on people's health. This seminar has been organised by Tarragona Provincial Council and the Landscape Observatory of Catalonia. During the seminar, the book "El paisatge en el món local. Mirades, criteris i experiències" will be presented, published by the Observatory at the end of 2024.For more information about the programme and how to register on the Tarragona Provincial Council website.[+]

The Landscape Observatory’s website includes a new section called Landscape maps, where you can view the shared cartography of the values and dynamics of the landscape of Catalonia based on the eight landscape catalogues. You can currently view the maps on landscape units, emblematic scenic backgrounds, unique agricultural landscapes and landmarks. Work is also underway on other maps that will be part of the same collection, such as the one of the landscape observation points. These new maps are becoming particularly useful for bringing the landscape into spatial and urban planning policies and in sectoral policies (tourism, culture, education, agriculture, the environment, etc.) and for embracing a comprehensive vision of Catalonia beyond the specific aspects included in each landscape catalogue.

The Landscape Observatory is working together with Olot City Council’s Culture and Education Department on Olot Tèxtil, a programme of activities aimed at drawing attention to the city’s textile-manufacturing past. Specifically, the Observatory has organised a workshop to reconsider the role played by water and industry in creating the landscape around Olot. Led by architect Carolina Fiallo, it will be held at the Landscape Observatory on 30 May, bearing the title “Drawing water: a critical mapping of the relationship between industry and water in Olot”. The Landscape Observatory has also produced a video about the diversity of industrial landscapes in Catalonia for the exhibition “Sorolls de telers, sorolls de diners” (“Sounds of the loom, sounds of money”), which can be visited in the Open Room of Museu de la Garrotxa from 12 April to 10 August.

The most important new feature is a user registry that will streamline the process of adding structures and allow each user to track their personal contributions to the inventory. Several changes have also been made to the internal software to ensure that the projects operates smoothly over the years to come, along with some updates to the visual design to make it look more like the one used in the “Pedra Seca” mobile application. The Landscape Observatory and the Grup Drac Verd de Sitges jointly launched the Wikipedra project in 2011. Over the course of the last 14 years, over 650 people and organisations have helped to list over 38,000 dry stone structures, including huts and cabins, water storage structures, ovens, walls, significant wall complexes and other constructions.

The Landscape Observatory and the Olot Art School have joined forces to launch a yearly project to monitor the landscape of the urban area of Olot through photographs. The aim of the project is to learn how the landscape evolves according to different dynamics: the building of infrastructure, urban development, the loss of agricultural land, changes in vegetation as a result of climate change and so on. The project will be carried out by students of the Higher Vocational Training Course in Photography and Audiovisuals and it will serve as a test so it can be undertaken elsewhere in Catalonia in the future.

The Barcelona International Landscape Biennial is holding the 13th edition of the Rosa Barba Casanovas International Landscape Prize, a benchmark distinction for landscaping that recognises the best project built in the last five years prior to its announcement. The award is endowed with €15,000 thanks to the support of Fundació Banc Sabadell. Registration will be open until 30 May 2025. The finalist projects will be made public in June and will play a prominent role during the Biennial Symposium, which will be held from 19 to 21 November 2025 in the Petit Palau of the Palau de la Música Catalana. The Biennial is also opening registration for the International Landscape Architecture School Prize Ribas Piera, a top prize for landscape education endowed with €1,500. The registration deadline for this second award ends on 30 June 2025.

The Landscape Observatory has redesigned its logo to celebrate its twentieth anniversary. Designed by the studio Enserio, the new logo preserves the essence of the old one and uses the Observatory’s full name in Catalan (Observatori del Paisatge de Catalunya). The changes to the logo recast the blue arc in the shape of a circle, seen as a meeting point or as a comprehensive and global view of the landscape. A thicker typography was chosen that makes it easier to read smaller versions of the logo. In the days to come, it will be updated in all the applications connected with the website and other networks of the Observatory. The logo of the Landscape Observatory of Catalonia’s Image Archive has also been redesigned so that both go hand in hand.

Collaborative map of landscape elements of value to the general public. The files are validated by the Trentino Landscape Observatory.

Carles Llop, Àdria Álvarez (eds.). Juneda: Editorial Fonoll, 2025. ISBN: 978-84-10220-32-4.

This collective work contains ideas, reflections, reasons and more on the new ruralities, which are undoubtedly a way of understanding and living in a new world, as well as in new horizons open to everyone. Based on the seminar of the same name, the book provides a critical perspective on the problems and realities of rural life, whilst also offering some reflections and suggestions aimed at addressing specific aspects, guiding us in the development of new strategies for defining new territorialities.

Anna Mas Danés, Raquel Morcillo García, Xavier Romero Hidalgo (coord.). Granollers: Sitezise, Ajuntament de Granollers, Roca Umbert , 2025.

Cartes d’aigua is an attempt to trace Granollers and the surrounding area through the influence of subterranean waters. It also tries to offer a different perspective on the course of the Congost River, focusing on the visible running water that shapes a riverbed, a corridor and a landscape. Cartes d’aigua is the result of perceptive journeys, conversations and documentary research as part of Granollers’ HIDROsfera project.

Juan Manuel Palerm Salazar (ed.). [Florència]: UNISCAPE, 2024. ISBN: 978-84-09-67700-9.

This book is the result of the seminar of the same name held in 2024, which took a critical look at the relationship between landscape and both men and women, but this time with a focus on the landscape and how such a perspective has influenced (and can continue to influence) our lives, lifestyles, habits and other patterns that shape our evolution on planet Earth.

Joan Sorolla. Caldes de Montbui: La Bibliogràfica, 2025. More information here

A spiral notebook full of postcards, this special book-object aims to showcase the land and the unique landscapes surrounding Serra del Mont, often from little-visited spots or unusual viewpoints. Thousands of people regard Serra del Mont as a religious, social, sporting and scenic point of reference. The notebook contains 60 analogue black and white photographs in total.

Barcelona: Institut del Paisatge Urbà i la Qualitat de Vida. Direcció Tècnica. Ajuntament de Barcelona. Available here.

This guide aims to provide support for developers and technical staff who are considering lighting a building. The ornamental lighting of a building has a direct impact on the city’s nighttime urban landscape, so it must be coherent, friendly and convey architectural and historical values.

Isabel López; Juan Carlos Etulain (compl.). Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires: Diseño, 2019. ISBN: 978-987-4160-80-5.

This book was published to showcase three applied research projects developed between 2006 and 2017 on the Gran La Plata Region (Argentina). Each project studies the region from different theoretical perspectives. The first studies spatial policies observed as cultural landscapes, the second recognises the different scales of the landscape for analysis and intervention and the third reflects on possible ways to adapt and mitigate flood risks in the region, as it is particularly vulnerable.

Jorge Wiesse Rebagliati (ed.). Lima: Sociedad Geográfica de Lima; Instituto Riva-Agüero, 2013. ISBN: 978-9972-602-95-5.

This publication brings together the papers presented at the conference held in 2012 to commemorate the centenary of Riva Agüero’s journey that gave rise to his famous book Paisajes peruanos, which is still relevant today and can be analysed from different disciplines, such as geography, history, literature and more.

Raúl Blanco Esteban. Valladolid: Junta de Castilla y León, 2024. ISBN: 978-84-09-63882-6. Disponible aquí.

This is the first volume in a trilogy that connects landscape improvement with sustainable rural development. The author argues that by maintaining and enhancing quality landscapes, we can achieve sustainable rural development, heal territorial wounds, halt rural depopulation and promote people’s physical and mental wellbeing.