What is a “Cultural Landscape”?

“A cultural landscape is a geographic area that includes cultural resources and natural resources associated with a historic event, activity, or person ... Cultural landscapes can range from thousands of acres of rural lands to a small homestead with a front yard of less than one acre. They include grand estates, farmland, public gardens and parks, college campuses, cemeteries, scenic highways and even industrial sites.”
The Cultural Landscape Foundation web site.

Why should I care?

Our public parks are landscapes that provide us with a sense of place. They reveal aspects about our origin and development, they provide scenic opportunities for contemplation and quiet enjoyment, and they offer recreational facilities that help communities stay healthy.

The character and quality of our cities and our parks depend on design. A well laid out park landscape is as essential to the character and life of a city as a plan for buildings, shopping malls and transportation routes.

Well-planned park design is a blend of natural and original features with current park needs. Such design, for example, avoids paving over open grassy meadows; allows for adequate parking without intruding on prime use areas; makes children’s spaces secure, accessible and away from other activities; balances recreation resources with other park uses; and is engineered for environmental concerns like flood control.

What is a Cultural Landscape Report?

A Cultural Landscape Report is a road map to effective development of our parks. It documents the history of a park, and develops a rehabilitation plan that is the result of community and professional input.

Cultural Landscape Reports have already been prepared for three Fort Wayne parks: Swinney, Memorial and Lakeside. Friends of the Parks encouraged and helped obtain grants for these comprehensive landscape studies and master plans. We strongly believe that a Cultural Landscape Report should be written for each park before future development plans are locked in.

Where can I learn more about Cultural Landscapes and how they shape America’s public spaces?

Pioneers of American Landscape Design, volume editors Charles A. Birnbaum and Robin Karson, McGraw-Hill publishers, New York, 2000

Read about George Kessler and Arthur Shurcliffe, who designed Fort Wayne’s park and boulevard system, Wildwood Park, Lafayette Place and Brookview. You can check it out at the Allen County Public Library, Catalog Number: 712.0922.P65.