Search Results (67)

Medieval Islamic bustān gardens in the western Mediterranean played a crucial role in preserving and enriching rose diversity through the cultivation of species from the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia. These gardens, particularly in Al-Andalus, maintained distinctive rose varieties characterized by diverse flower morphology—ranging from white to deep crimson and near-black hues, including various yellow shades—and complex fragrance profiles with multiple olfactory nuances. The botanical heritage from these medieval Islamic gardens demonstrates remarkable persistence, with several of these cultivated rose species still found today in abandoned cortijos and aldeas throughout the mountains of eastern Spain. This study examines the transmission of rose culture through medieval Islamic bustān gardens, analyzing how these gardens served as repositories for ancient cultivars while introducing new varieties from eastern regions. Through examination of historical texts, iconographic evidence, and field documentation of surviving populations, we trace the continuity of medieval Islamic rose cultivation practices and their lasting impact on the rural landscape of eastern Spain. Flower scent is prominent as the leading factor determining preferences for medieval heritage rose cultivars, together with color and shape. The survival of these roses in abandoned settlements provides unique insight into the durability of medieval horticultural systems and the adaptation of cultivated species to semi-wild conditions over centuries. Full article

Bagheria, located on the northern coast of Sicily, is home to one of the Mediterranean’s most remarkable ensembles of Baroque villas, constructed between the 17th and 18th centuries by the aristocracy of Palermo. Originally situated within a highly structured rural landscape of citrus groves, gardens, and visual axes, these monumental residences have undergone substantial degradation due to uncontrolled urban expansion throughout the 20th century. This study presents a diachronic spatial analysis of Bagheria’s territorial transformation from 1850 to 2018, integrating historical cartography, aerial photography, satellite imagery, and Geographic Information System (GIS) tools. A total of 33 villas were identified, georeferenced, and assessed based on their spatial integrity, architectural condition, and relationship with the evolving urban fabric. The results reveal a progressive marginalization of the villa system, with many heritage assets now embedded within dense residential development, severed from their original landscape context and deprived of their formal gardens and visual prominence. Comparative insights drawn from analogous Mediterranean heritage landscapes, such as Ortigia (Siracusa), the Appian Way (Rome), and Athens, highlight the urgency of adopting integrated conservation frameworks that reconcile urban development with cultural and ecological continuity. As a strategic response, the study proposes the creation of a thematic cultural route, La città delle ville, to enhance the visibility, accessibility, and socio-economic relevance of Bagheria’s heritage system. This initiative, supported by adaptive reuse policies, smart heritage technologies, and participatory planning, offers a replicable model for sustainable territorial regeneration and heritage-led urban resilience. Full article

The villa of the Veneto is a complex that includes the manor house, the agricultural buildings, as well as the green spaces of the garden, the orchard and the fields. The research presented in this article focuses on the case of Villa Giusti-Puttini at Santa Maria in Stelle (Verona, Italy), with the aim of unravelling the history and state of conservation of the villa’s park, which has never been studied before. The research has been carried out by interconnecting the historical archival documentation (written documents and maps) with the current state, always considering the possible interpretations suggested by the specialised related bibliography. The result has been the identification of the elements of permanence and transformation of the territory and landscape of the villa. Elements such as its boundaries, interior paths, vegetation and watercourses make it possible to outline guidelines aimed at recovering the memory of this historic landscape which has been largely preserved over the centuries, and which constitutes one of the most significant heritage aspects of this area of Italy. In addition to providing in-depth knowledge of a specific object, this research can serve as an example for the study of other cultural landscapes. Full article

Turfgrass has evolved from a fundamental element of natural landscapes to a key component of ornamental, recreational, and ecological systems. This review examines its historical trajectory, from ancient civilizations and medieval monastic gardens to modern urban green spaces, highlighting cultural, technological, and environmental influences. The study integrates historical analysis with agronomic and ecological research to assess turfgrass’s role in soil conservation, carbon sequestration, water management, and biodiversity enhancement. The methodological approach combines a historical–literary review with an analysis of scientific advancements in turfgrass management, focusing on low-input species, precision irrigation, and climate-adaptive strategies. The findings indicate that while turfgrass contributes to urban resilience and ecosystem services, conventional high-maintenance practices pose sustainability challenges. The review underscores the need for multifunctional turfgrass systems that balance aesthetics with ecological benefits. A shift toward eco-friendly management practices will be essential for the long-term sustainability of turfgrass in modern landscapes. Full article

Private gardens during the Song Dynasty are an important component of classical Chinese garden design. However, existing research predominantly focuses on architectural forms and construction techniques, with insufficient systematic exploration of the overall spatial layout, the typological evolution of garden architecture, and the underlying driving forces behind these changes. Based on the 400 private garden records from the Complete Collection of Song, Song-era notes, poems, and paintings, this study employs methods from cliometrics and iconology to quantitatively analyse historical materials to systematically trace the evolution of spatial layouts, architectural types, architectural construction, and interior furnishings in Song private gardens while delving into the causes of these changes. The findings reveal a significant increase in the application of “elevated and terraced layouts” in Southern Song private gardens. The rise of unique architectural types, such as boat-shaped buildings, academies, and high buildings with a collection of books, is closely tied to the scholar-official culture, advancements in printing technology, the influence of Neo-Confucianism, and government support for private education. Southern Song architectural techniques saw significant advancements in response to climatic changes, featuring diversified roof forms, upturned eaves, detachable doors and windows, and elevated platforms. The invention of modular furniture, such as the Yanji table, exemplifies the ingenuity of Song designers in adapting to shrinking living spaces. This paper is the first to systematically reveal the evolution of private garden architecture in the Song Dynasty, particularly the emergence of unique architectural types. It offers a new perspective for understanding the influences of society, culture, and environment on landscape architecture in the Song Dynasty, providing valuable historical insights for the study of Ming–Qing garden architecture and contemporary landscape design practices. Full article

As an aspect of garden space, tea space is an important part of traditional culture and inherited culture. This paper takes 210 representative literati painting images of Ming and Qing dynasties as the research object, combining historical materials, the analysis of painted images and mathematical statistics to transform the representative paintings into visual plan form, and then identifies and extracts the environmental elements and behavior activities in the paintings to build the factor base. It is determined that the main sources of tea activities are Hall Style, Water Pavilion Style, High Pavilion Style, Grass Pavilion and Terraces Style and Combination Style. The analysis results show the following: (1) The tea events mainly occur in outdoor gardens and indoor and outdoor spaces, with windows as climate boundaries. (2) Regarding the use of furniture, indoor spaces tend to use wooden furniture, while outdoor spaces use stone furniture and natural stone, or portable wooden furniture. (3) In terms of indoor and outdoor spaces with tea activities, indoor and outdoor spaces often borrow landscape elements from each other, and screens and partitions are often used as a means of space division in terms of space separation. The findings of this study lay a theoretical foundation for the design of traditional garden tea spaces, and provide a reference for the fine design of contemporary architecture and garden tea spaces. Full article

This paper presents a comprehensive scoping review of the application of 3D digital technologies in the documentation, conservation, and management of historic gardens and related cultural heritage. By analyzing a curated selection of literature, this study assessed the current state of research, highlighting trends in publications, the geographic distribution of contributors, and the key technologies employed. Using bibliometric methods and visualization tools, followed by a case study review, this review identified significant research hotspots and technical methodologies, particularly focusing on advanced techniques such as mobile laser scanning, UAV photogrammetry, and point cloud processing and their relationships with end users. The findings emphasize the importance of integrating multiple technologies to capture the diverse elements of historic gardens, including architectural features, vegetation, and topography. This review also underscores the significance of dynamic landscapes facing challenges posed by environmental degradation and urban development pressures. Moreover, it discusses the limitations of existing research and outlines future opportunities, such as the development of 4D documentation systems and the incorporation of AI for improving heritage management. This paper concludes by recommending interdisciplinary collaboration and public engagement to enhance the accessibility, understanding, and sustainable management of historic gardens through innovative technological applications. Full article

The Global Frameworks for Enhancing Natural and Cultural Capital, as expressed in the Charter of Rome (2014), have relevant importance in the broader context of sustainable development goals (SDGs). The intricate connection between cultural and natural heritage emerges in various documents from UNESCO, IUCN, and ICOMOS; however, the categories and methods for their assessment are not completely defined. Evolving from the concept of “mixed properties” used in the UNESCO definitions, we introduce the concept of CUNA places: cultural places of high relevance for nature. It provides a methodological tool for identifying and typifying these places based on their values, attributes, and significance. Then, we propose definitions and categories for three different CUNA typologies, comprising 16 categories, considering both tangible and intangible heritage. We also provide a preliminary application to the city of Rome, where a rich historical heritage intersects with outstanding natural values. All the typologies and categories of CUNA places are present in Rome, and further analysis could show the multifaced aspects represented here. On a broader scale, such an application offers the opportunity to enhance the heritages that could be valorized, strengthening the territorial identity, promoting sustainable development, and generating income for conservation efforts. Full article

Suzhou classical gardens, as a unique form of urban green space in China, not only embody rich historical and cultural heritage but also showcase distinctive natural landscapes, exerting a profound impact on modern mental health. This study employs text mining and content analysis methods to qualitatively explore online comments about Suzhou Gardens, which were collected using the Octopus Collector program to mine public reviews from the travel review platform Ctrip. These online reviews were further combined with questionnaire survey data to quantitatively analyze public preferences among different gardens and their restorative experience characteristics. We utilized the ROST CM6 software for high-frequency word extraction, semantic network analysis, and sentiment analysis to reveal the emotional perceptions of the public towards these gardens. The sentiment analysis results indicate that a majority of online comments express positive emotions, frequently mentioning words such as “tranquil”, “quiet”, and “serene”, highlighting the significant psychological comfort these spaces provide. Additionally, through one-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation analysis, we found significant differences in emotional and cognitive dimensions among different gardens, which are closely related to specific spatial factors such as landscape element diversity, visual scale, and types of greenery. These findings suggest that the spatial characteristics of Suzhou Gardens play a crucial role in shaping visitors’ emotional responses. Based on these insights, we proposed a series of design recommendations aimed at enhancing the overall image and healing functions of Suzhou Gardens. The findings of this study not only enrich the theoretical framework of healing landscape design but also provide valuable insights for the practical application of these principles in modern urban green space design. The research underscores the importance of combining functionality with aesthetic elements to meet the psychological needs of contemporary society. Full article

This paper deals with the landscape design strategy that was followed in the proposal that was submitted to the International Architecture Competition of the New Archaeological Museum of Cyprus. The aim of this document is to analyze how landscape and architecture interact. In the author’s design proposal for the New Archaeological Museum of Cyprus, the various “gardens” integrated into the Landscape are analyzed. The concept of landscape design is related to the sacredness of trees to certain gods in Ancient Greece and Greek Mythology. The proposal addresses the symbolic meaning of trees and water. The design triggered the creation of several “gardens”: the “Sacred Garden”, the “Stone Garden”, the “Olive Garden”, the “Sacred Grove”, and the “Public Garden”, combining their soft landscapes with the hard landscape of the “Plaza” and the “Courtyard”. Each figure in the garden has a symbolic meaning that allows for a dialogue between landscape and architectural design. In addition, the findings provide valuable insights into the historical and spiritual value of landscape elements (plants, water) that are also thermal regulators for sustainable urban planning. The research results may be of value to landscape architects, architects, and landscape designers in the Mediterranean region. Full article

The current research methods employed in the study of gardens are largely concentrated in the fields of landscape architecture, architecture, and ecology. However, there is a paucity of analytical methods dedicated to the domain of garden design. However, the design content of gardens is within the scope of design studies. It is therefore imperative to develop or refine research methods for the analysis of gardens that are firmly grounded in design principles. The primary contribution of this study is the development of a design analysis framework, centered on the interrelationships between ‘user–garden–environment’, which can be applied to the analysis and investigation of gardens from a ‘people, objects, and environment’ perspective, in alignment with design studies. Influenced by similar geography, environment, culture, customs, etc., the garden design of China, Japan, and South Korea presents a very East Asian design style of forms, elements, features, etc., but also formed the differences of each characteristic. This paper takes China’s Chengde Mountain Resort, Japan’s Shugakuin Imperial Villa, and South Korea’s Changdeokgung, which are listed on the World Heritage List, as examples Based on the design analysis method proposed in this paper, a relevant design comparative study is conducted in three aspects: users of East Asia’s royal gardens, the design object—the gardens—and the external environment, and the similarities and differences between the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean royal gardens are analyzed. This study aims to verify the feasibility of the analytical framework of ‘user–garden–environment’ design by analyzing typical cases of royal gardens in China, Japan, and South Korea. This will enable the creation of multiple values conducive to the development of gardens. Furthermore, the analytical framework of ‘user–garden–environment’ is subjected to a process of deconstruction through the case studies of typical royal gardens in the three East Asian countries. This is done to overcome the limitations of existing research methodologies, provide a novel systematic research methodology for garden research, and facilitate the protection and inheritance of the historical and cultural heritage of gardens in East Asia. Additionally, this approach offers a reference point for related garden research in the context of modern lifestyles. Full article

Allées used to be the essential artistic tools and indispensable parts of the strictly architectural, formal Baroque gardens. Beyond the practical purposes of edging paths and garden ways for walking, hunting, or horse and carriage riding, allées played a vital role in marking visual and landscape connections and thus the spatial projection of the noble estate, its wealth, and social rank. In Historical Hungary, Baroque architecture and garden art appeared in German-Austrian and French examples in the 18th century. The Széchenyi Linden Allée is an outstanding linear garden space of Baroque Garden art at Nagycenk, West Hungary. The generous composition, created by the prominent Count Széchenyi family in the mid-18th century, has remained a magnificent entity in the landscape ever since. Despite barely two hundred years of detected or unknown environmental or habitat changes, as early as 1942, the allée received a nature conservation nomination. More than a half-century later, in 2002, the allée became a historical and landscape aesthetical heritage within the Fertő-Hanság Cultural Landscape World Heritage site. Unfortunately, the once magnificent tree lines have severely eroded in recent decades due to mature trees’ subsequent death, inadequate replacement, lack of regular maintenance and tree care, and effects of climate change. In recent years (2011, 2018), landscape and horticultural analyses and visual and instrumental tree assessments were performed to help the conservation and rebirth of the allée, maintain the mature trees, and restore the landscape within a long-term renewal plan. Along with the 2018 survey and plan, the short-term maintenance works were completed in 2019–2020. This study, based on site surveys in 2022 and 2024, aims to identify the results of the primary management, analyses the vitality of mature trees after crown reductions, and then proposes a resilient and sustainable regeneration method with the habitat, cultural, natural, and genetic heritage, and the feasible maintenance contexts in focus. As proposed in the 2018 plan, the reproduction of mature trees started in 2020 and resulted in well-developing grafts for a later allée restoration. Due to the challenges of climate change, the regeneration project requires a special, long-term restoration management plan with a special focus on the still vital and possible remaining mature trees, the well-growing individuals from previous replanting, and the nursery school seedlings conserving the genetic heritage of the Széchenyi lime trees with long-viability capacity. Full article

The surrounding environment of architectural heritage sites is integral to cultural heritage protection; plant landscapes play crucial roles in them. Controlling plant spaces and appearances is essential for preserving plant landscapes. A World Cultural Heritage Site, the Summer Palace has undergone multiple changes since the 1860s; restoring and protecting plant landscapes has been an ongoing research focus. However, data accuracy limitations have hindered analyses of the overall spatial characteristics of historical gardens. Here, the historical dynamics and unique landscape features of plants on the front hill of Longevity Hill (FLH) are explored, and conservation and renewal strategies are proposed. Geographic information system (GIS) and WSL Monoplotting Tool are used to identify historical plant spaces. Plant space types are classified, and their landscape characteristics are analyzed. On the basis of historical events, the historical plant spaces on the FLH can be divided into two major categories and six subcategories. The vegetation retention area (south side) was less affected, and the plant landscape along Kunming Lake was the most well-preserved. However, the vegetation-damaged area (north side) was impacted more in the western part than in the eastern part, with notable changes in spatial landscape characteristics, particularly regarding forest function, morphology, and structure. Strategies are proposed for reducing human intervention and adjusting retention areas; furthermore, historical images and spatial grading in damaged areas can be used to suggest landscape adjustment and restoration strategies. This study introduces a method for analyzing the historical characteristics of plant landscapes over time that can be used to protect cultural heritage sites worldwide. Full article

The plantscapes surrounding historical gardens hold significant value, reflecting the natural pristine state as well as demonstrating the cultural attributes of the landscape. This study aims to develop a method for identifying the characteristics of historic plantscapes and to recognize the authenticity of historic landscapes from the perspective of plant elements. Our method combines textual and geospatial data analysis to examine the plant species, their relationships and combinations, and spatial distribution. The case study focuses on the Beijing suburbs during the Qing Dynasty, as documented in A Collection of Past Events in Beijing. We identified 658 plants recorded, encompassing 44 families and 58 genera. These plants were categorized into 7 groups based on the growth type and morphological characteristics, leading to 54 plant relationship outcomes, 107 plant combination scenarios, 5 plant combination categories, and 7 representative plant combinations. Additionally, we mapped the spatial distribution of plants, forming 16 plantscape groups and depicting the spatial kernel density distribution of important plants. We also determined the characteristics of plantscapes in different directions in the suburb. Our findings advocate for respecting the historical development of the plantscape and understanding its evolution, particularly emphasizing the use of high-quality native plants and plant combinations. Full article

Visitor attraction dynamics lead tourism industry paths. A complex artificial neural network model was built to predict the incoming tourism flow in the Apulia region of Southern Italy as a function of the heterogeneity of the tourism supply available in this area. Open data from the Regional Tourism Observatory were targeted. Information on the distribution of facilities and activities that attract regional tourist flows was collected and grouped by municipality. An artificial neural network model was built with total tourist attendance as the dependent variable and tourist attractions as regressors. The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) was used to select the optimal model using the lowest value. The final model was run with a hidden layer consisting of three neurons and a decay value of 0.01. A Multi-Objective Counterfactual model (MOC) was then constructed using a randomly selected row of normalized data frame to validate a useful tool in increasing total tourist attendance by 20% over that of the randomly selected municipality. A Garson’s variables importance plot indicated natural landscapes such as beaches, sea caves, and natural parks have a primary role expressed in terms of variable importance in the AI algorithm when used as an innovative methodology for evaluating tourism flows in the Apulia region. A further MOC model built using a randomly selected row of normalized data frame showed convents, libraries, historical buildings, public gardens, and museums as the top five features most modified to improve total attendance in a randomly selected municipality. Use of AI modeling revealed that the implementation of nature-based solutions may speed up the flow of tourism in the Apulia region while also promoting sustainable social development. Full article