ABSTRACT

This chapter focuses on the experiences of landscape, and of gardens, in particular, and about the meanings that reflect these experiences. For there has been a subtle shift in the meaning of landscape that reflects a change that has occurred in our experience. Landscape architects shape the environments in which humans experience the world and thus determine the character and quality of that experience. By articulating the differences between the observational and the engaged landscape, we can understand better how design is able to create landscapes that reflect the values and meanings we want to encourage. What is true of landscape in general is equally and pointedly true of the garden. The garden may be considered a microcosm of the world as it is understood by the culture in which it is located. It can also function as a model of experience that we may strive to emulate.