Paul Selman

Local Agenda 21: Substance or Spin?

Local Agenda 21 has become well embedded as a mechanism for promoting sustainable development strategies at the municipal level. Quantitative studies indicate an impressive rate of progress on strategy production and adoption. This paper reports on qualitative research focused mainly on four innovative UK case studies, and explores the reality of experiences as revealed by participantsin Local Agenda 21. It considers the nature of claims made in relation to sustainability networks, the role of local government and stakeholder characteristics. The paper concludes that, whilst many of the claims about LA 21 are intractable to test, there is some evidence of genuine attainment. This relates mainly to processes of strategy production, stimulation of environmental citizenship, inclusion of various sectors, challenging traditional assumptions and actions, and assisting local democracy.

Learning to Love the Landscapes of Carbon-Neutrality

Abstract Landscape changes often provoke controversy, and yet may produce outcomes which become accepted and valued after a period of time. This paper proposes that societys increasingly earnest pursuit of sustainable development will involve landscape changes that attract protest and opposition, and which may prove a barrier to the rapid adjustments necessary to substantially reduce our carbon footprint. It considers this possibility by exploring two aspects. First, it considers the role of drivers of change, and suggests that significant loss of traditional landscapes is inevitable, as the drivers that produced them are often becoming obsolete. Energy is likely to be a major driver of new landscapes as society seeks ways of weaning itself off fossil carbon fuels. The effects of this shift will be far-reaching, not only arising from energy production technologies, but also from the ripple effects of the energy life cycle. Second, reference is made to the notion of the ‘acquired aesthetic’, which might suggest the capacity to develop a taste for emerging landscapes if we endorse their underlying story. The paper therefore raises the possibility that, by emphasizing the underlying narrative of ingenuity in rising to the challenge of sustainable development, we can learn to see beauty and attractiveness in emerging landscapes of carbon neutrality.

Planning for landscape multifunctionality.

Abstract The term “multifunctional landscapes” has been greeted with suspicion in some quarters as unnecessary jargon for which there are simpler and better-known alternatives, such as multiple use. This community essay explores the meanings associated with landscape multifunctionality and concludes that it is, in fact, a useful term that reflects important new ideas. In particular, it can help to promote landscapes that cross urban-rural divides, are more sustainable, and are planned and implemented in an integrated way.

A sideways look at Local Agenda 21

Local Agenda 21 (LA21) represents a response by municipal governments to the agenda set out at the Rio Earth Summit. Individual LA21s seek to construct a sustainability programme for their area, aimed at integrating environmental, economic and social objectives. This paper examines critically the purposes, characteristics and achievements of the LA21 process. Particular attention is given to elements of strong and weak sustainability, relative to green issues, social capital and business. Whilst LA21 has clearly generated a good deal of activity, there is little evidence that it is really helping municipalities to shift along the sustainability transition. The paper concludes that LA21 courts a number of risks, but must be given more time to realize its potential for influencing attitudes and behaviour. Copyright

On the nature of virtuous change in cultural landscapes: exploring sustainability through qualitative models.

Abstract Cultural landscapes are internationally valued resources, yet face endemic threats. Often the ‘drivers for change’ result in a loss of valued qualities, and are associated with ‘vicious circles’ of landscape deterioration. The way in which landscape may represent an integrative framework for research and policy is noted. It is argued that a key objective of research and policy should be to promote ‘virtuous circles’ in which social capital and economic entrepreneurship valorize distinctive landscape characteristics, leading to a situation of mutual reinforcement between human activity and environmental capital. Particular attention is given to qualitative models of virtuosity in the landscape. Positive feedback loops in the landscape are illustrated by reference to current examples of integrated rural projects. The further development of formal models as a basis for reinstating virtuous circles is advocated as a basis for the future planning and understanding of cultural landscapes.

Landscape ecology and countryside planning: Vision, theory and practice

Abstract Landscape planners are beginning to recognise the need for a strategic response to countryside change, but lack an appropriate theoretical framework. Landscape ecology is proposed as a basis for planning at a variety of scales. A number of key concerns of landscape ecology are identified, which help to explain the functioning of present and future ecosystems. These centre upon population dynamics, characteristics of habitat patches, movements between patches, visual cohesion and hydrological structures. Despite the complex relationships between biophysical and socio-economic systems, some broad principles are emerging which can be used to underpin landscape plans. Several implementational mechanisms are available which might help to convert these plans into reality. A set of strategic landscape planning principles is proposed, as a basis for further discussion.

On the Meaning of Natural Beauty in Landscape Legislation

Abstract The term ‘natural beauty’ has been an important criterion for designating and managing fine landscapes in the UK and elsewhere. However, its meaning has been assumed to be self-evident and has never been officially defined. Latterly, this has become problematic in relation to more critical contemporary understandings of ‘natural’, and legal challenges to the use of the term in practice. Based on an analysis of the antecedents to legislation for the protection of natural beauty, and of subsequent efforts to analyse and describe fine landscapes, this paper considers the contested use of ‘natural beauty’ in current landscape policy. It proposes an extended meaning for the term which is consistent with the intentions of the original legislators.

What do we mean by sustainable landscape

Abstract As an academic working in the field of landscape design and planning, I continually encounter references to the idea of a “sustainable landscape.” It is a concept of growing significance. For example, the European Landscape Convention, which has now been widely adopted by governments in Europe, refers twice to the role of landscape in sustainable development and also to the sustainable protection, management, and/or planning of landscapes. The term is routinely used by educators, private practitioners, researchers, consultants, and government officials who tend to assume a common understanding of its meaning. Yet the idea of a “sustainable landscape” often remains undefined, or is defined in relation to specific applications and geographical contexts. Conceptions differ significantly between “old world” and “new world” landscapes. Professionals working in landscape architecture, planning, and engineering prioritize different aspects of sustainability as do researchers and academics depending on whether their emphasis is on landscape science, design, management, planning, or history. I feel passionately about landscape and believe that intelligent decisions about its future are pivotal to sustainable development. This essay does not pretend to be a definitive statement on the nature of “sustainable landscape,” but I hope that it will provoke further thought about what the concept might mean both in theory and practice.

The ‘landscape scale’ in planning: Recent experience of bio-geographic planning units in Britain

Abstract Landscape-scale mapping is becoming more widely used as an approach to identifying ‘characteristic’ units of countryside for information gathering and policy delivery purposes. A number of innovative approaches currently being developed and applied in Britain are reviewed. The justifications for producing these methods, as reflected in published sources, are analysed. Interviews with selected professionals, who identify various benefits for more effective policy delivery, integrated planning, partnership formation and public engagement, are reported on. Most of the approaches also override administrative boundaries, which enables a more naturalistic reflection of environmental systems, whilst also creating some political difficulties. Other problems are associated with cost and subjectivity. Overall, the methods are likely to improve joined-up rural decision making, but further research into their effectiveness is needed.

Relationships between Environmental Values and the Acceptability of Mobile Telecommunications Development in a Protected Area

Abstract This paper seeks to enhance understandings of underlying reasons for attitudes towards a recent landscape phenomenon— mobile telecommunications development— in a protected area. A public questionnaire survey was conducted, using photographs of mobile telecommunications development installed in the Peak District National Park, England. Building on existing theories about landscape perceptions and environmental values, the study examined the factors influencing the acceptability of such development: a) the degree of human influence in landscape; b) the purpose of development; and c) environmental values. The study highlights the fundamental influence of environmental values on peoples attitudes towards incremental landscape change. The paper discusses the implications of peoples generally high level of sensitivity to landscape change in a protected area and the predominance of ecocentric values for landscape planning and management.