ABSTRACT
Building on N. Katherine Hayles’s “three waves of cybernetics,” this chapter juxtaposes the development of contemporary landscape theory and practice with the development of cybernetics since the mid-twentieth century. Concerns explored in each wave of cybernetics—homeostasis, autopoiesis, and emergence—mirror that was center in the landscape architectural practices. Examples drawn from contemporary landscape architecture practices are discussed. This chapter is an attempt to trace the evolution of ideas across disciplines, with two goals. First, it introduces cybernetics and related concepts to readers unfamiliar with the topics. Second, cybernetics serves as an anchor that connects contemporary landscape architecture discipline to a broader intellectual discourse and mitigates the disciplinary gaps.
