Heritage: Past & Future

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International Federation of Landscape Architects Fédération Internationale des Architectes Paysagistes

NEWSLETTER No. 103 February 2 0 1 3

mail ifla@iflaonline.org web site www.iflaonline.org cultural landscape committee www.iflaclc.org

IFLA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President

Desiree Martinez IFLA_President @iflaonline.org

IFLA

HERITAGE PAST AND FUTURE Topic

Author(s)

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From The President

Desiree Martínez

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Interpreting Heritage in Architecture

Katalin Máthé PhD

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British Residency at Hyderabad

Sriganesh Rajendran

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Integrating Historical Found Places in Today’s Landscapes

Anett Firnigl, PhD

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Hungarian Historic Cemeteries

Imola GECSE-TAR

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Heritage Cities of Indonesia

Soehartini Sekartjakrarini

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Secretary General Ilya MOCHALOV mochalov@alaros.ru

A Summer Resort From The Turn of The Century

Ágnes Bechtold

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Vice-President European Region

Nigel THORNE

Towards a Fresh Strategic Framework

Bruno Marques Diane Menzies

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Vice-President Asia/Pacific Region

Interview with Diane Menzies by Dato Ismail Ngah

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Book review: World Heritage Cultural Landscapes

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Book review: Temples, Wadas And Institutions Of Pune A Legacy & Symbolism In Architecture

Vasanti Londhe

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“The Nature of Cities”

Martha C. Fajardo

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n.j.t@btinternet.com

Dato Ismail bin Ngah dibn57@gmail.com

Vice-President Americas Region

Carlos JANKILEVICH carlos@tropicaintl.com

Editor IFLA News Shirah CAHILL shirahcahill@yahoo.com

Potential contributors please contact shirahcahill@yahoo.com Deadline for articles (500-1000 words plus illustrations) last day of the preceding month Cover image: Château De Villandry, 2012, <http://lovethesepicture.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/gardenof-love-at-chateau-de-villandry-most-romantic-gardens-in-france-40-pics/>


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 FROM THE PRESIDENT

February. The event was a huge success, with the attendance of many students; key notes from the 2013 European Biennale winner, Marti French, the star LA from Portugal Joao Nunes and Mexico´s outstanding SAPM member, Mario Schjetnan, among others. A highlight was the planting of the LALI tree, to become part of the Pan-American LALI forest. We chose a Quercus insignis, a Mexican oak with acorns as big as an apple! It was planted in the Arboretum of the botanical garden at the UNAM (Mexico´s Autonomous National University). Hope to see many of you in Auckland, I really urge you to attend!!! With a big hug, Desiree Martínez

Planting a LALI tree with Francisco Luna, president of the Mexican Society of Landscape Architects (SAPM for its Spanish initials).

February has been an intense month for Landscape architecture. After our meeting in Brussels, the EXCO and the strategy group have been working close together to prepare a hopefully very fruitful World Council. The document you are going to receive in the World Council package reflects the hard work of our colleagues from the group and the members of the EXCO. The document represents the interpretation of your needs and visions, expressed though your answers to last year´s applied questionnaire! You will have the chance to continue shaping IFLA´s future through your participation at the World Council and its scheduled workshops! Please consider how important your presence is and attend the World Council meeting and the Congress!!! We also celebrated the 8th National Congress of the Mexican Society of Landscape architects in

Motives in Interpreting Heritage in Architecture and Their Implications in The Shaping of The Environment Katalin Máthé PhD Budapest Corvinus University, Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Department of Garden Art INTRODUCTION Leone Battista Alberti (1404-72) defined the architect as “the responsible shaper of his environment”. With his claim, the prominent humanist outlined a long path for architects, from craftsmen schooled in the medieval tradition, to the academic scholar, and to a moral awakening that is yet to be taking place in the architectural society as a whole. Landscape architects and conservationists act as catalysts in this process. THE APPRAISAL OF ANTIQUITY Many of the strategies that we adopt to interpret our heritage date back to the intellectual ambitions


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 of Italian humanists whose prime motive was to regain social recognition of the cultural standards set by the Roman Empire. These pioneer scholars were philologists preoccupied with the edition and translation of ancient written resources. Consequently, the distinctions they made between a classical period and that of a cultural decline was based on the state of proficiency exhibited in the use of classical Latin language experienced during these ages. It was Petrarch (1304-1374) who first promoted this concept. Giovanni Andrea Bussi (1417–1475) extended it by arguing that by his time Italy had succeeded in reviving its cultural heritage and was entitled to leave a 1000 years of darkness behind and enter a new age. Bussi also established the nomenclature for this three-period division of history known as Antiquity, Middle Ages and Modern – Medieval being a regrettable intermezzo between two pinnacles of civilization. This view, though probably a hypothesis by intention became ever more secularized in history-writing (Katus, 2000). The European intellect had been living under the spell of Antiquity well into the 19th century. They witnessed an unprecedented rise in aspects of life they most highly valued: an explosion of scientific enquiry in a willingness to arrive at a consensus on universal truth, the foundation of an encyclopedic system of norms on the one hand, and the integration of the idea of change, evolution or progress into this eternal set of laws on the other. Considered as universal, the defined norms were immediately implemented into the shaping of the physical environment. Architecture made enormous efforts to represent itself on this advancing intellectual scenario as an equal participant (Bergdoll, 2000). The Royal Academy of Architecture was among the first Academies in France, founded in 1671 by Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683). Colbert was instrumental in establishing the institutional background of scientific inquiry in the court of the Sun King, which continues to be the model for the organization and management of intellectual

activity until this day. In that period academic discourse was based on the interpretation of antique written resources, in the case of architecture, on Vitruvius’s Ten Books of Architecture (1st century BC). This theoretical communication with the past was extended with on-site research, as part of the mission of the French Academy of Architecture of Rome.

Fig. 1 Temples of Rome in Durand’s Recueil (1800)

The two seminal works of Jean Nicolas Durand (1760-1835): Recueil (1800), the architectural history atlas and Précis (1802), the design methodology discerned from the study of past examples; and Jean-Baptiste Rondelet’s (1743-1829) sevenvolume Traité (1802-1817), a practical pendant to the works of Durand can be considered as the most comprehensive architectural writings to summarize more than 200 years of research and practice activity carried out by a sophisticatedly selected élite under the sponsorship of the wealthiest emperors of this period who saw architecture as the most powerful communicator of their rule (Kruft, 1994). THE CHALLENGING OF THE ACADEMIC TRADITION AND THE RE-EVALUATION OF THE “DARK-MEDIEVAL” TIMES The thesis of this paper is that the developed built and intellectual heritage is more influential on contemporary architecture than it is recognized. This is


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 Fig. 2 Self-built cob cottage on a permaculture farm

largely due to the theoretical work of the Modernists who claimed their activity to be a revolutionary break from Historicism, which they saw as a servile copying of past practices. In this view they take for granted the acquisition, interpretation, systemization and application of architectural knowledge made easily available for them as a result of one of the most enterprising intellectual efforts carried out in the history of architecture (Bergdoll, 2000). Modernist architecture in principle has not made any break from the Academic tradition. Rather, it has taken the French Academic rationalist approach combined with normative thinking to an extreme. Modernist architects only extended the building typology established by their forefathers as a response to the requirements of an occurring modern lifestyle of a generic population, whose living standards they aimed to raise to a desirable level. By so doing they believed to avoid a bloodsplitting revolution (Le Corbusier, 1927). A fundamental departure from the ideological framework descended from antiquity was ex-

pressed from the early 19th century onwards by those – the Saint Simonians, the Utopian Socialists and the Romantics in France; Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-52), John Ruskin (18191900) and William Morris (1834-96) in England – who were turning to the past for models of a sound, integrated social structure in which architecture was only one expression of shared morals that ensured the permanence of communal living. There were a great diversity of motives behind these views; what they had in common is the rejection of modern society and an appraisal of medieval culture (Kruft, 1994). During the last two centuries the revival of medieval or even more ancient communities reoccurred in increasing frequency. Within these movements architecture does not gain social recognition and is not practiced as trained architects are accustomed. The motive is to establish an autonomous, living system in which a building is not considered as a separate entity, but is integrated through many relationships to the other elements of its surroundings. As such an approach eludes all definitions


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 established by academia and any of its institutions that determine architecture today; there is little room for this approach to freely experiment in order to gain a stock of experiences that are the prerequisites of its further fruition (Steele, 2005). THE HERITAGE OF HISTORICAL LAND USE The cultural heritage of “high civilizations” enchants posterity to the extent that they would rather invest a great portion of their resources to reconstruct this “high” intellectual and built environment, than investigate the reasons why the praised civilization has collapsed so that they may avoid the same fate. It was after the Dust Bowl of the 1930s in the United States, while topsoil has blown away from millions of acres of farmland, when soil conservationist ventured into the writing of the history of civilizations from a land-use point of view. As a result, they arrived to define heritage as: “Poor peoples of the earth are poor because their ancestors wasted the natural sources on which present generations must live” (Dale & Carter 1955).

Fig. 3 Ruins in deserted landscape: Temple of Baal, Palmyra, Syria

Their thesis, that the decline of a civilization is the consequence of their continued deterioration of the natural-resources on which their wealth is based, was presented in each culture of high antiquity: the Egyptian-, Sumerian-, Akkadian-, Babylo-

nian-, Assyrian- and Persian Empires, the Hellenic civilization, the Minoans, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, and the Romans without exception failed to learn from the past and repeated the mistakes of the civilizations they previously conquered. This self-destructive attitude descended throughout hundreds of generations and inflicted peoples of all kinds and cultural backgrounds throughout the world. CONCLUSION To change the ingrained habit of conquest and replace it with cooperation at each level of human existence exceeds the competence of a professional élite and the institutional framework within which it operates. However, architects, landscape architects and conservationists possess invaluable experience to speed up this change so that an ever growing percentage of the world’s population may enjoy again the benefits of her resources. LIST OF REFERENCES 1.Bergdoll, B. 2000, European Architecture 17501890, Oxford University Press, Oxford. 2.Dale, T. & Carter V. G. 1955, Topsoil and civilization, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. 3.Frampton, K. 2007, Modern Architecture: a Critical History, fourth edition, Thames and Hudson, London. 4.Johnson, P. 1994, The Theory of Architecture: Concepts, Themes and Practices, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York. 5.Katus, L. 2000, A középkor története, PannonicaRubicon, Budapest. 6.Kruft, H-W. 1994, A History of Architectural Theory from Vitruvius to Present, trans. R. Taylor, E.Calender & A.Wood, Princeton Architectural Press, New York. 7.Le Corbusier 1927 (1923), Towards a New Architecture, trans. F. Etchells, The Architectural Press, London. 8.Le Corbusier 1951 (1949), The Modulor: A Harmonious Measure to the Human Scale Universally Applicable to Architecture and Mecahnics, Faber and Faber, London. 9.Steele, J. 2005, Ecological Architecture: a Critical History, Thames and Hudson, London.


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 The Former British Residency at Hyderabad, India: A Landscape Study. Sriganesh Rajendran Abstract: Gardens and open spaces on a historic campus present special challenges for conservation in India. In the case of the British Residency at Hyderabad- the present day Osmania University for Women- the historic fabric is under pressure to meet its own expansion needs while staving off external pressures of urbanization. Change in design ideologies and aesthetic preferences have lent themselves to some irreversible change of design direction compared to the original scheme. As part of the World Monuments Fund supported Conservation Management Plan, a Landscape Study was carried out to establish the eroded meaning and the tight knit between the building, gardens, horticulture and site.

Russell of the Madras Engineers. The estate was defined by three arched gateways, named after Lord Roberts- the Commander-in-Chief, Lord Lansdowne-the Viceroy and queen Victoria herself. In 2010, The World Monuments Fund supported the preparation of a comprehensive Management and Revitalization program for the main building. It highlighted vital open space counterparts in its remnant 43-acre site. THE CAMPUS LANDSCAPE TODAY: The Residency site is a large open space with a thick green cover in the dense city center of Hyderabad. The site has constantly been under pressure due to urbanization along its peripheries. Of late,

INTRODUCTION: The erstwhile British Residency at Hyderabad is the present day campus of the Osmania University for Women (OUW) at Koti . As the seat of the embassy of the East India Company, fort and residence of its premier, its siting along the Musi had strategic and political connotations in relation to the Walled City of the Nizam. Its main buildinga Palladian style structure of great opulence-was commissioned in 1803 for the British Resident James. A. Kirkpatrick, and built by Lt. Samuel The study culminated with siting of new built form in more benign ways, and proposing a framework for the Campus Landscape Management. It was recommended that the Restoration effort also focus on landscape counterpoints to the building, such as the North faรงade and the Italian Garden. The College was moved to the British Residency at Koti in 1949, by Nawab Ali Yaver Jung, the former Vice-Chancellor of the Osmania University. The name Koti is derived from the local word for palace-kothi

Fig 1 BRISTISH RESIDENCY TODAY. The overlay of the original boundary of the British residency (red) shows its siting in relationship to the river Musi and the Nawabs city (Dark Brown). The site bifurcation (magenta) and the urban fabric are present day conditions. Source: Author, overlay on Google Earth image.


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 Fig 2: THE CAMPUS LANDSCAPE (Existing in 2010) Source: Author, for CMP Document.

the land-locked campus is grappling with the need to cater to its future growth. (fig1) A few principal open spaces can still be discerned today notably, the Central Mall and “Italian” Garden while others have eroded in form and content, due to neglect. Axial organization plays a key role in the overall man-made composition. A Granitic rock outcrop in the Northwest corner alludes to the original natural landscape of the site. (Fig 2) Archival and current data has revealed many changes to the original design, some of which are: 1- Severe transformation of site’s context due to subsequent urbanization along the perimeter. This erased links to other landmarks which played a significant role in its design organization such as the Clock Tower, fortifications of the Walled city and the Musi River. 2-Demolishing the North-East Gate and fortifica-

tions to accommodate the new city bus station 3- Permanent bifurcation of the site by handing over 50% of land to the Osmania Medical College 4- The construction of the Kitchen and dining block obstructed the axial view of the durbar hall block – ruining the architectural counterpoint of the axis of the Mall. 5- Demolition of the Eastern arm of the colonnade defining the Central Mall 6- Loss of historic cues in feature spaces such as Rang-mahal Garden, Cemetery and Firing range due to neglect 7- Miniature model of the Residency in the Rangmahal lost to fire. 8- Recent buildings sited in disregard to historic composition and scale. 9- Ad-hoc introduction of access roads and services 10- Increase in rooftop and road runoff affecting the working of historic drainage system. 11- Changes in planting character; elements such as curbs, security guard posts, bollards, light poles,


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 statues etc. vandalized or lost 12- Obsolescence of old water systems due to groundwater depletion in recent years. Some of the new pressures includes the Proposed Metro station parking at the north western edge of the site, land acquisition for road widening on the northern side and a proposed electric sub-station at the south-eastern side. REVITALIZATION APPROACH: The Preservation of the Residency’s ‘sense-ofplace’ requires addressing pressures on the site and OUW’s future needs. The revitalization strategy is organized along the following lines: 1- Inventory of open spaces in terms of size, materials, design elements, features and vegetation 2- Understanding morphological changes through a genesis sequence 3- Identifying potential reversible change 4- Field studies and simulations to outline new

changes 5- Review of data gaps to abort presumptive decision-making 6- Approvals and Funding Key themes include: 1- Diurnal visual link with the North façade to improving the external urban road character, creating a new relation with cityscape. 2- Establishing sight lines for preserving/ improving sky view and silhouette of historic buildings 3- Sympathetic allocation of new built form with due respect to historic fabric 4- Open space system for hostels integrating renovated barracks as open space features 5- Campus pedestrianization based on future transport options 6- Improving wayfinding 7- Conserving low lying areas and thick vegetation 8- Reducing site imperviousness 9- Adopting groundwater recharge in suitable places FIG 3: FIELD IDENTIFICATION OF TREE SPECIES AND PLANTING ISSUES (August 2010) Source: Author, for CMP Document.


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013

FIG 4: NORTH PORTICO WITH ITS COUNTERPART ITALIAN GARDEN (August 2010). The outline of the Italian garden is visible in its masonry works and light pole locations. The vegetation pattern bears little resemblance to the garden’s layout. Source: Author

FIG 5: VIEW OF THE MALL LOOKING EAST. (August 2010). The West wing of the south façade shows the overgrowth typical to the site . Along the mall, it is possible to decipher the original intent of the planting and the later insertions. See Fig 3. Source: Author

10- Restoring the spatial clarity of the Mall and facades obscured by ad-hoc vegetation 11- Identifying Historic planting schemes 12- Tree Management Plan addressing exotic and native species (fig 3) 13- Addressing the erstwhile Main gate facing the Musi river 14- Approaches to restoration of the Italian garden and the Rang-Mahal Garden 15- Integration of streetscape elements deriving from historic precedents 16- Creating discovery trails, open to the public, with necessary cordon.


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 END NOTE: THE WAY FORWARD. Despite fragmented growth over the years, the OUW campus has the potential to be a self-contained educational institution meeting academic and residential needs. Balancing the historic fabric and acquired green cover with modern-day aspirations remains a key issue. In this regard, 23% of the site has been built upon. The existing land can be selectively used for smaller building footprints and yet reserve its image as a green lung. This may be one battle which may win the campus’s long war with urbanization and growth pressures. That this important landmark is slowly disappearing in collective memory (for example, the popular love story between James Kirkpatrick with Khairunnissa Begum ) is evident from the fact that very few people on campus and off it know much about it. If the highly aspirational goal of preserving its ‘Sense-of Place’ is to be achieved, the revitalization program should be seen as an open document rather than a bound script. The real work is yet to begin. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sriganesh Rajendran was the landscape consultant for this project. He can be reached at sriganeshrajendran@gmail.com.

Integrating Historical Found Places into Today’s Landscapes. The Presence of Pannonian Roman Villas in the Modern Agricultural Environment Anett Firnigl, PhD, Landscape Architect Assistant Lecturer of the Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary INTRODUCTION The Romans’ was the first culture in Central Europe, which consciously intervened in the landscape. An important group of archaeological sites See William Dalrympyle‘s White Mughals: Love and Betrayal in Eighteenth Century India. (Penguin India, 2004)

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in Hungary are the Roman villas, where the agricultural life of the province took place (Sági 1983). However we can find few examples of presented ruins: most of the sites are under the surface in peripheral positions on plow lands. The presentation of ancient ruins and architectural monuments is a special and extremely important area of protection of monuments. However these are complex and very difficult tasks. The building remains peaking through the surface begin to deteriorate immediately in the aerobic environment, exposed to hazards caused by weather conditions and vandalism as well. THE ROMAN VILLAS OF PANNONIA PROVINCE The Roman legions appeared in the Hungarian Transdanubia, in Lower Austria, in Northeast Slovenia and in Northern Croatia at the beginning of the 1st century A. D.: they developed a border region from this area, Pannonia province, and they organized its independent administration. The economic boom of the Severus-era brought economic recovery into the life of the province in the 3rd century, which also led to the growth of a number of villas. These manors ensured the food supply of the army: besides its military role Pannonia was also the agricultural hinterland of the Roman Empire, thanks to the favorable natural conditions. The barbarian attacks were a permanent risk for the province, but because of their recurring invasions, more villas were confirmed in the 3-4th century. Despite the military forces Pannonia province was slowly eliminated, however some villas would serve as residences in the later ages. The presence of the Romans in Pannonia caused several changes in the landscape: they wiped out forests, they brought the lands under cultivation, they built villas and towns with channels and paved streets: they chose the ideal places for buildings in close proximity to the water, the wood-giving forests were used for houses, heating and the Roman road network and they tried to involve the beautiful panoramic view as much possible. The villas are concentrated into five groups in Pannonia (Fig. 1.): by the rivers Dráva and Száva, by the Lake Fertő, beside the Mecsek mountain, beside the city of Aquincum and on the Balaton Highland.


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 1. The main roads of Pannonia province with their known breakpoints and with the main villa-groups

The villas were cultivation and stock-raising adapted farm units (B. Thomas 1964, M贸csy & Fitz 1990). Some uniformity can be observed in the external appearance of the villas, whose basic criteria was a main building with a bath and outbuildings. Nevertheless these manors were usually divided into three major parts: the so-called pars urbana was the residential area, and pars rustica with the pars fructuaria were the economic and storage portions of the villas. These parts were often physically separated by thin walls and fences. Beyond the walls the fields of the farm-units, the grapes and the forest were located. THE CONSERVATION OF ROMAN VILLAS IN THE MODERN LANDSCAPE. The presentation of ruins, architectural remains known by archaeological excavations are made for the public audience, therefore many construction and didactical

aspects have to be taken into account: not only the acceptance and understanding of the public must be considered but also questions of credibility, the periodization determined by archaeologists, aesthetics, the proper preservation, the definition of extent and manner of the additions and finally whether the ruins are found in developed areas or in the natural environment. Even the smallest interference to the protection of a ruin results in the reduction of authenticity and value of antiquity. However small the interference may be, the ruin must be preserved quickly due to the affects of weather and air. Thus, in order for it to survive we must further reduce its value: it is impossible to ensure the survival of the remains through preservation only after excavation with the Central European climate. It is therefore particularly important to study international examples,


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 tion is “all efforts designed to understand cultural heritage, know its history and meaning, ensure its material safeguard and, as required, its presentation, restoration and enhancement”. The presentation of the villas of Höflein, Löfeelbach (AT), Baláca (building No. X., see Fig. 2.) Egregy (HU) and Maribor (SI) is based on these methods. At this level the information boards are necessary for understanding, as the example of Bruckneudorf (AT, Fig. 3.) shows.

2. The building No. X. at Baláca (photo by author, 2007)

with regard to ruin protection as well as maintenance. The internationally recognized methods for the presentation of ruins (fixed in the Charters of Athens, Venice and Kraków) are: • Conservation, 2D and 3D visualization • Partial reconstruction, anastilosis, complete reconstruction • Protective hoods, protective buildings However the presentation should not be a purely architectural task, especially when dealing with certain valuable ruins like the villas. Most of the villa-presentation in Pannonia is in the group of conservation and 3D visualization. As the Nara Document on Authenticity says, conserva-

The other characteristic method of the presentation of Pannonian villas is the using of protective hoods or buildings, or a combination. The protective hoods of the mausoleum of the villa in Kővágószőlős or the main building of Baláca (Fig. 4.) were completed in the 1980s as beautiful examples showing the mass of the original buildings. CONCLUSIONS The Romans have established similar works (e. g. buildings, villas, roads, decorations, see Schreiber 1985, Firnigl 2007) on conquered territories to those in Italy during the centuries of the Roman Empire, so it is important to share international experiences in their safeguarding. As the abovementioned examples show, villa-presentations are rarely in the territory of the former Pannonia province, although these objects were once densely enmeshed on the land. The presentation of more villas would be worthwhile, because our agriculture’s past is rooted in these buildings and fields. However this task needs special attention paid to maintenance do to the peripheral position (Fig. 5.)

3. The main building of the Roman villa of Bruckneudorf (photo by author, 2007)

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IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 4. The main villa building of Nemesvámos-Baláca (photo by author, 2006)

regarding both conservation and reconstruction, where the landscape can have more emphasis. The technologies and plants used by the Romans have mostly disappeared with the spread of early Christianity (Firnigl 2012). But the achievements of advanced agriculture and the lands made by deforestation created a new cultural landscape in Transdanubia which carried over in later ages.

Instead of new excavations more attention might have been paid to the presentation of known ruins today, because of the changing legislation. The landscape is the witness of history: the ancient productive role of villas has to be kept in mind

5. The Roman villa of Szentendre (photo by author, 2010)

References B. Thomas, E. 1964. Römische Villen in Pannonien. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó Firnigl, A. 2007. A római kori úthálózat nyomai a Balaton-felvidéken [Traces of the Roman Road Network in the Historical Landscape of Balaton Highland] 4D Tájépítészeti és Kertművészeti Folyóirat [4D The Journal of Landscape Architecture and Garden Art], 2007/7. pp. 43-51. Firnigl, A. 2012. A római kor kertjeinek növényalkalmazása. A pannoniai falfestmények növényábrázolásai, és az archaeobotanikai vizsgálatok


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 Jósvafő, Reformated cemetery

eredményei [The Use of Plants in the Ancient Roman Gardens. The Plants of Wallpaintings in Pannonia Province, and the Results of the Archaebotanical Researches.] Csemez, A. & Fatsar, K (eds.): 4D Könyvek: Kalászat – Kerttörténeti tanulmányok Baloghné Ormos Ilona 70. születésnapjára [4D Books: Garland – A Tribute of 70th Birthday to Ilona Baloghné Ormos with Studies in the History of Gardens]. Budapest: Corvinus University of Budapest. pp. 47-63. Mócsy, A. & Fitz, J. (eds.) 1990. Pannónia régészeti kézikönyve [Archaeological Handbook of Pannonia]. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó Sági, K. 1983. Pannónia lassan elenyészik [Pannonia is slowly fading]. In: Szombathy, V. (ed.): Régészeti barangolások Magyarországon [Archaeological Walks in Hungary]. Budapest: Panoráma. pp. 101123. Schreiber, H. 1985. Auf Römerstraßen durch Europa. München: Area The Athens Charter for the Restoration of Historic Monuments 1931 International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites (The Venice Charter 1964) The Nara Document on Authenticity 1994 The Charter of Kraków 2000 – Principles for Conservation and Restoration of Built Heritage

Cultural Heritage Protection in Hungarian Historic Cemeteries Imola GECSE-TAR

Corvinus University of Budapest, Department of Garden Art . imola.tar@uni-corvinus.hu In Hungary the custom of churchyard burial commenced after the conversion to Christianity, in the 11th and 12th centuries. This practice was universal in Hungarian cemetery culture until the 16th and 18th centuries. Since the 16th century a process that continued over several centuries began, during which local cemeteries moved from the churches into the centers and finally to the outskirts of settlements. It could be said that this process was

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initiated by the Council of Trent (1545-63), and also by the Protestant Reformation. The next important stage in this process was the Act of 1777 issued by Maria Theresa, and the final stage was the Act XIV of 1876. This act stated that each settlement had to maintain a public cemetery; however, a jointly used denominational cemetery could substitute for the opening of a new public cemetery. In the 19th century jointly used cemeteries became widespread. In bigger settlements, where the cemeteries were filled quickly and the city grew around them, big central cemeteries were developed which usually were maintained by the local establishment as public cemeteries. Village cemeteries showed an almost stable picture until the 16th-20th centuries. Their design was mainly determined by local customs, while town cemeteries were under the influence of new fashions and styles. As a result of the political and social changes after WW2, the national countryside cemetery culture changed significantly; public village cemeteries appeared responding to the trends of the city. In Hungary research on cemeteries was launched at the beginning of the 20th century, primarily thanks to ethnographers. Then, in the middle of the 20th century, conservation specialists also


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 Budapest, Kerepesi cemetery

turned their attention to cemeteries, this as a result of post WW2 burial rites changing significantly and correspondingly, the protection of national graveyards and their new status as protected becoming an urgent task. Many cemetery elements worth protection and later the entirety of certain cemeteries, were put under protection in the second half of the 20th century. The preservation of the most significant examples of historic cemeteries is ensured by the national cultural heritage institutions. Historic cemeteries not under protection are in danger. Their legal protection could be facilitated through the local council’s decree. In the case of functioning cemeteries, the appearance of new graves constitutes a risk. The harmonious unity of new and old tombs could be carried out by regulation; particularly through the careful wording of both the local construction and cemetery regulations. There are numerous closed cemeteries with historic value. Their maintenance is rarely ensured. The only

opportunity is to utilize their territories in a way that will ensure the preservation of their value as historic cemeteries. The number of objects found in cemeteries which merit being under territorial protection grows each year. However, choosing the places to protect is accidental, as a comprehensive and consistent aggregate of national cemeteries has not been compiled, and an analysis of them has not been carried out. The overall territorial protection of historic cemeteries is extremely important because in this way the vegetation as well as the structures found in each cemetery will be protected in addition to tombstones and other buildings. (There are cc.150200 historic cemeteries under area protection in Hungary, in which cc. 50 cemeteries are under territorial monument protection.) The number of protected historic cemeteries could be increased further if a national cemetery cadastre was compiled. The cemetery cadastre could be compiled with the assistance of an integral survey


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 form. The cemeteries worth protecting could be chosen from this cemetery cadastre based on consistent criteria.

tic value, cultural-historical value, botanical value, townscape/landscape value, potential of settlement ecology and utility potential

The survey form would include the following details: name of the cemetery, address of the cemetery, GPS coordinates, lot number(s), owner, trustee, if it is on the Register of Historic Places or on the Conservation Register, under local protection, under veneration protection, closed/functioning state, main building, its state, history of the cemetery, historical classification of the cemetery, its present state (structure, buildings, grave signs, vegetation), references, remarks, date of entry, name of surveyor. It is suggested to draw up the plan of the cemetery, and also collect photo-documentation of it as a supplement to the form.

References Balassa Iván: The cemeteries of Hungarian villages. (A magyar falvak temetői.) Budapest, 1989. Baloghné Ormos Ilona: Plan-methods of Cemeteries. (Temetőkertek tervezési irányelvei.) In: Jámbor Imre (ed.): Gardenarchitecture 2. (Kertépítészet 2.) Budapest, 1988. p. 298-343. Gecséné Tar Imola: Historic cemeteries in Hungary. PhD dissertation (Corvinus University of Budapest), 2012. Kunt Ernő: The folk-art of cemeteries. (A temetők népművészete.) Budapest, 1983. Seléndy Szabolcs (ed.): Cemetery-garden. (Temetőkert.) Budapest, 1972.

Elements of the criteria emphasizing the importance of territorial protection are the following: unity, uniqueness/typical-ness, historic value, artis-

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Pilisvörösvár, Jewish Cemetery


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 Cemeteries under territorial monument protection in Hungary

Heritage Cities of Indonesia Soehartini Sekartjakrarini The title: Heritage, Past and Future is very precise with what is now being done by ISLA (Indonesia Society of Landscape Architects) in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia. Through the IFLA Committee I chaired : Landscape Architects without Borders, ISLA along with other professional associations signed a declaration (The Indonesia Architecture Forum), facilitated by the Directorate of Architecture and Design at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy Indonesia, in October 2012. Following the declaration, ISLA is now in the process of providing policy guidelines for governments to improve the quality of heritage cities which are widely available in Indonesia. In collaboration with experts from different professions, the process is fully supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia. The distinct and unique heritage cities in Indonesia were founded as a result of the wealth and diver-

sity of Indonesian landscapes. This heritage must be known and passed on from generation to generation without compromising quality, but rather by improving upon it in order to bring prosperity to the community. Through creative economic activities, ISLA has been providing solutions and regulation corridors so that the development of Indonesian heritage cities will continue to be able to benefit the people of Indonesia without undermining the heritage itself.

A Summer Resort From The Turn of The 19th and 20th Century Near Budapest. It’s Past and Future à gnes Bechtold In correlation with industrialization, urbanization and the strengthening of the bourgeoisie after the middle of the 19th century there was an increasing claim for fresh air, calmness, silence and contact with nature. Holidaymaking became fashionable, and numerous summer resorts came into existence. In Hungary the building of villas was widespread in the greenbelts of cities (above all in the


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013

highland of Buda), and around bigger cities that had remarkable bourgeoisie. In 1887 the owner of the central dairy in Budapest, Imre Kunkel bought a 43 hectare lot from the manor of Cinkota. His plan was to generate parcels for villas. He recognized the opportunity that because of their good location and natural conditions in addition to the planned new suburban railway, the parcels soon would be sold at a high rate. In the same year, he founded an association for the owners of the plots. That was the starting point of the existence of the summer resort at Mátyásföld. The association prepared strict regulations applied to the way of settling and building. The minimum size of the plots, the type of houses, the distance of the houses from the neighbor’s fence and the street line were determined, also the plans of the houses had to be submitted to the association for

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acceptance. Hence the settlement developed in a regular structure, and became one of the most up to par examples of estate development in Hungary. In addition some ideas of garden city planning appeared there as early as the end of the 19th century. The natural attractions of Mátyásföld were the 25 to 266-hectares woodland (which was full of locust-trees), its table-land character and its fresh air. The great advantage of the estate was the local railway, connecting Budapest and Cinkota, set in operation in 1888. The main route led from the railway station to the inn that was built in the forest (later transformed into a park). In front of the inn a semi-circular square was created. The route led forth behind the inn as a promenade to the outdoor swimming pool. The layout of the streets was based in the Northwest and Southeast directions (the most frequent direction of the wind) and


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 gardener whose task was to look after the trees. There were three important public spaces in the estate, a little triangular square in front of the Catholic Church, the other one in front of the inn, and the third (the parkland) behind the inn. From the forest, parkland was formed gradually, by thinning some trees, creating some clearings and planting some valuable species.

the streets surrounded nearly equal sized, square shaped parcels. The width of the streets was defined at 15 meters. Methodical planting of trees along the streets started in 1888 and by 1889 it was finished. The association ran a nursery garden and employed a

The gardens of the resort bear the characteristics of the eclectic gardens. The front garden was always a flower garden; behind the house an orchard was often located. At the axis of the house in the front garden usually a rounded or rectangular “rondeau� was placed, sometimes surrounded by a low box hedge, with a rose-bowl or a basin in the middle. First the rondeau was ornamented with carpet beddings. Around the rondeau there were beds with grass and trees. In some gardens there were rosariums and pergolas. A strange component of these gardens was the small built pond combined with a rockery. A specific plant


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 establishments including a bowling field, an open air swimming pool (opened in 1902) and 10 lawn tennis courts in the parkland. It was also characterized by a vivid cultural life. With and after World War II, its splendor began to diminish but it is not yet completely gone. In the fifties, the villas were divided into small flats and the gardens and public spaces were not cared for properly. The parkland was partly built up by tower blocks and other buildings. The trees along the streets were slowly replaced by different species, and some streets lost their character. Additionally, some destruction as well as improper restoration of villas has also occurred. Last year one of the best remaining gardens was replaced by an entirely new one. In order to preserve the special value of this estate for the future, awareness raising and a stricter regulation system is necessary.

Towards a Fresh Strategic Framework for IFLA Bruno Marques and Diane Menzies Co-chairs of IFLA Strategic Planning Working Group

of the turn of the 19th and 20th century, the long stemmed rose could also be found. In some gardens clumps of fir-trees could be found, as remains of the landscape garden tradition. In some cases on both sides of the frontispiece of the house the same species of trees were planted. The most frequently used arboreal plants in the flower gardens were: Buxus sempervirens, Picea abies, Pinus nigra, Platanus sp., Tilia cordata, Acer platanoides, Morus alba ’Pendula’, Sophora japonica ’Pendula’, Aesculus hippocastanum. At an early stage the plots were trellised. After the fence-maker Sándor Haidekker was moved to Mátyásföld, the pales were replaced by nice metal fences and portals. As a summer resort, it was used by citizens and artists half of the year. There were several sport

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A strategic plan working group was set up by resolution at the World Council of IFLA in Cape Town in September 2012 to develop a fresh strategic framework for the federation’s medium-to-longterm future. The terms of reference included a review of IFLA’s structure, governance arrangements and funding as well as refreshing its vision and mission statements. The working group included representatives from all four IFLA regions and was assisted by a skilled, external facilitator. The members of the working group are: Carey Duncan and Herman de Lange (Africa), Ana Luisa Artesi and Terry Clements (Americas), Diane Menzies and Tong-Mahn Ahn (Asia-Pacific), and Bruno Marques, Emily Wade and Thomas Knoll (Europe).


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 The work of the group included sending a consultation questionnaire to all council delegates in all regions and, very impressively, a total of 47 out of 69 member associations replied. The co-chairs of the working group, Diane Menzies and Bruno Marques, and facilitator, Mike Owen, presented the findings from the questionnaire survey and a wide range of strategic proposals at a joint meeting with the world ExCo in Brussels on the 20th and 21st of January 2013. A very productive debate followed based on those proposals and a consensus was reached on a wide range of issues and topics. These topics included what form of corporate structure would be appropriate for IFLA’s future, the relationship between the IFLA center and its regions, the role and activities of regions, responsibilities of the center, IFLA’s central committees, the composition and functioning of ExCo, the value of IFLA possibly having an executive director, IFLA’s funding model, business planning processes, meetings of IFLA’s annual World Council, and communication methods used by IFLA (with members and beyond). The meeting also agreed upon the need to refresh IFLA’s current vision and mission statements and to simplify its current Constitution. The results give a valuable and inspiring basis for the future of IFLA. We are now at a turning point having a clear pathway ahead. The facilitator and the working group are now proceeding to write up and summarize the agreed positions on these topics in an overall, draft ‘strategic framework’ document which, after agreement by the ExCo at the end of February, will then go forward for all members to consider and vote on at the upcoming IFLA World Council in Auckland. At that council meeting there will also be an update report on the work of the working group and a number of workshops where delegates will be able to discuss the major themes of the draft framework and develop more specific initiatives. ExCo agreed that the Brussels meeting had been extremely valuable and had successfully started a

fresh momentum to define and develop a stronger, exciting future for IFLA and, by extension, the global landscape architecture profession. The ExCo now looks forward to the Auckland Council to discuss and develop the draft strategic framework with all members and to moving it forward together. We urge all delegates to be present at the World Council, since we want all of you to be part of IFLA’s future. We invite all IFLA delegates to meet in Auckland, New Zealand on April 8-9 2013 and actively engage in this exciting process of shaping the future of IFLA!

I NT E RV I EW DIANE MENZIES, Immediate Past President, IFLA interviewed by DATO ISMAIL NGAH IN: Cultural landscape is perhaps the most important component in the study of heritage. Could you further elaborate on the inter connectedness of these two subjects? DM: When we think about heritage we are usually referring to our cultural legacy, the reminders of past times and cultures. This may be intangible such as beliefs and customs, tangible such as books, or it may be built heritage such as buildings or bridges. A statue may have been erected after a battle and so provide a tangible link to events passed, or a spring may have been the significant draw card for the foundation of a city. Both may be identified as part of the heritage of current citizens, and may be part of a cultural landscape. Cultural landscapes, as with older buildings, may have a patina or layers, formed by different successive cultures adapting and constructing landscapes according to their values, traditions, customs, needs and aspirations. We say we can ‘read’ cultural landscapes in a similar way to reading a book because their form and function tell the story of


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 1 View of Te Kuri a Paoa or Young Nicks Head This headland is an important cultural landscape for both indigenous and colonial New Zealanders. It is near the landing location of an early voyaging canoe Horouta which sailed from the Pacific Islands to New Zealand in the 1100’s. It was also the first headland of New Zealand sighted by cabin boy, Nick Young who sailed on the British explorer Capt James Cook’s ship Endeavour in 1769. Nicks Head Station is now farmed as a pastoral landscape while ecological and cultural aspects are enhanced.

the previous and current land managers. However, some landscapes, such as Mt Tongariro in New Zealand which has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is both a cultural and a natural landscape. The cultural landscape aspects of this place are intangible. The mountain is considered to be a famous ancestor and well-known legends refer to the mountain. So not all cultural landscapes are visible but rather are in our minds and memories. Cultural landscapes are about heritage, the word is often used loosely and interchangeably. Landscapes which may not have cultural or heritage values, may be important because they have habitat values, such as wetlands, whereas the influence of past and present cultures may be hard to discern. IN: UNESCO World Heritage categorizes cultural landscape as being defined, evolved and associative. How do you see the roles of landscape architects and other professions in protecting the cultural landscape? DM: The term heritage is slippery because it is often used in conjunction with protection and

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conservation and a number of assumptions made. It seems to imply that we need to freeze a townscape or landscape at a particular point in time. But landscapes change with seasons, with climatic events, changing technology, disasters and biological change, and have evolved over eons. So when we talk about protection we need to consider whose heritage this represents and for what point in time is the protection sought. We need to consider what the landscape represents now and how to re-interpret it. Landscape is a living entity, distinct from buildings and how we value it needs careful consideration. We need to uncover assumptions and unpick ascribed values. Whose values are we protecting? What is of heritage interest? We need to understand how to tease out and determine how this living cultural landscape might maintain the values thought to be the embodiment of the area into the future. That may not necessarily mean simply maintaining the status quo; even the reverse. And it may be that the heritage values may be protected in intangible ways. There are currently hugely destructive and ignorant actions taking place around the world for


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 2 Wetland at Nicks Head Station Cultural landscapes change over time, responding to social, economic and biological and physical aspects. Much biological diversity in New Zealand is under threat from imported predators and habitat destruction. On Nicks Head Station a new wetland development complements the property, providing much needed habitat for birds. Another area of the property is a predator protected mainland island for endangered animals. NBW Landscape Architects team led by Breck Gastinger and Thomas Woltz.

economic or political reasons which ignore cultural landscapes and heritage values, but the considered response may be to establish a link with the cultural aspects while working with change, and establishing what may be recognized as legitimate as well as of less significance in its present form. While some cultural landscapes, such as rural landscapes, may be distinct and have developed as the direct result of a particular culture and its way of life over many years, the conundrum occurs if that way of life is no longer viable. The landscape may also hold or represent intangible or associative aspects which may have been important to a culture past, but no longer present. We then need to use all our skills as landscape architects, in conjunction with other disciplines such as archaeologists or ethnographers, to chart a viable future for the landscape, acknowledging change. I think our profession’s contribution is more in finding ways to design change sensitive to cultural values rather than to preserve or protect. That may be for museums. We need to work with people as well as the cultural and changing landscapes to provide options which maintain people’s connection to valued places but allow for future benefit. Blending

contemporary solutions into valued landscapes be they vernacular or cultural is a skill we can provide. IN: Asia Pacific Region is said to be the world’s oldest civilization with a diversity of races and religions, most populated and with a vast range of biodiversity. Unfortunately there seems to be a lack of research, documentation and understanding on the subject. Could you please comment? DM: The fact that there are such rich, diverse and vibrant cultural landscapes throughout Asia Pacific suggests to me that the knowledge is there, and retained in many forms. The loved places throughout the area have evolved in distinct ways and demonstrate different understandings, ethics and politics. I suspect there are two changes which have pushed cultural values and heritage into the background. The first is the extreme rapidity of global change which may result in development which does not take into account the values which local people hold. Local views may be seen as conservative and blocking change, and therefore ignored. This is where we as landscape architects should be more vigorous and advocate for skilful change. Secondly, and linked to the first issue, I


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 IN: I understand you are deeply involved with the International bodies who do research and promote the subject. How do you see the roles of this committee in the past and what would you recommend to focus on in the future? DM: I am a member of the ICOMOS-IFLA International Scientific Committee for Cultural Landscape which is a forum for ideas on techniques, issues and skills in understanding and managing cultural landscapes. Among other things the committee contributes to investigations for UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites program, helping to identify and assess authentic cultural landscapes under threat and through provision of expertise. The committee also develops policy concerning cultural landscapes. A guiding document currently being developed is for historic parks, and another area of research is rural cultural landscapes around the world. The ICOMOS –IFLA committee would welcome more landscape architects. IFLA also has a cultural landscape committee and a vigorous regional committee in Asia Pacific. The Asia Pacific committee has held annual meetings (the next is planned for Ahmedabad, India in December 2013) but I am hopeful that while we will continue sharing ideas at meetings, we will con3 Colonial links are remembered in the farmhouse garden through peren- tribute more to on-going identification of cultural landscapes, provide information on special areas, nial and other plantings and develop policies which are relevant to the Recent plantings tell the story of change over time, through native and Asia Pacific for managing such landscapes. This exotic plantings, creating living memorials and re-interpreting the farm is particularly important for urban areas where landscape. cultural landscapes have not often been recogNBW Landscape Architects team led by Breck Gastinger and Thomas nized in planning and development policy, rather Woltz. than specific heritage buildings or monuments. think is the imposition of western landscape and The guide produced by UNESCO on Historic Urban other values on other cultures. This has tended Landscapes merits greater and more active impleto ascribe less weight to local knowledge and mentation by our profession. cultures. Both have tended to produce bland and unexciting development which has a global stamp, IN: The theme for this year IFLA50 in New Zealand rather than a distinctive local one. We know there “Shared Wisdom in the Age of Change” comes are written works dating back hundreds of years almost appropriately at the right time. Could you about landscape management in Asia. Research please explain a bit in relation to heritage and culis gaining momentum on these works and we can tural landscape? learn much from them. I am confident that this area of our profession will become much more assertive and active.

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IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 4 Image of urupa (cemetery) with mountain in the background Both tangible and intangible aspects of heritage are remembered. An example of the tangible is the grave yard or urupa at Nicks Head Station which holds many old memories for local indigenous people. The mountain in the background is a special place for local Maori and is the symbol of a number of legends and memories.

DM: The IFLA Congress in New Zealand in April (www.ifla2013.com) is not solely about wisdom from the past. We are hoping to share ideas for tackling change for the future, such as how to design after cataclysmic disaster, and to develop resilience that enables creative ideas to emerge. However we also have a workshop on indigenous wisdom to enhance knowledge on other cultures’ values and how these can be addressed in city planning and urban design fora. We have tried to identify speakers from a range of backgrounds who we think have wisdom that our profession can share and benefit from such as ethnography, film making and history. I am hoping it will be a very constructive and interesting conference and look forward to international participation. IN: How do you see the changes in heritage especially cultural landscape in dealing with the unprecedented phenomena such as technology and climate change that has a significant impact on our landscape and social fabric? DM: When change is inherent in everything we seem to do, in all aspects of life, it may seem that every issue looms larger than conserving valued

landscapes. This I think is as much a factor of our timid contribution to such change as the enormity of threatened change. Landscape architects deal with change. That is our training and skill: to develop visions and find ways to enable communities or clients to achieve them. Yes, we must recognize effects of changing weather patterns, and yes we must deal with different opportunities (and impacts) which new technologies present, such as energy technologies. But cultural landscapes, be they contemporary or historic, are our bread and butter so we need to be much more powerful advocates of our own skills and what we can contribute. IN: I must say you are a rare expert in the field of heritage and cultural landscape. How do you see the importance of this subject in the present and future syllabus of our educational system? DM: We seem to need to teach more and more topics and need to cover ever increasing skill sets and technologies yet university courses and programs are shrinking in size in many places, responding to governments’ shrinking budgets. Yes, learning techniques for working with cultural


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 landscapes is important, as well as skills in communicating with people so that we are aware of what is important to local people. Of course we must research and learn about the physical as well as intangible aspects of places. Most importantly I think we must respect the diversity of cultures and take care not to impose our values on others: and this should be part of curricula.

help countries define and nominate their heritage with greater accuracy and security, assist the bodies responsible for assessing this heritage, such as ICOMOS and UICN, support the World Heritage Center in its constant efforts to study and improve the criteria for framing and guiding actions and encourage the general public to discover this amazing heritage.

IN: Last but not least, what is your advice to aspiring landscape architects as a whole?

The structure of this book includes an introductory section which explores the drafting of the World Heritage Convention and the origins and evolution of cultural landscapes. It analyzes the assessment criteria and the various amendments made over the years, which have served as guidelines for successive nominations. It examines the challenges involved in safeguarding Cultural Landscapes and the difficulties and concerns involved in conserving and managing them in space and time. The work also contains an in-depth analysis of the declared landscapes as a whole, drawing conclusions from aspects such as their most outstanding characteristics, the most frequently found features and the new typologies which are emerging, and presenting a detailed study of each individual landscape to provide as rounded and analytical a vision as possible. It then ends with an extensive bibliography of generic and themed works that are of great interest for further study of the subject.

DM: Young graduates emerge at an exciting time even though financial markets have faced repeating short term crises. I would say to them to be very ambitious for your profession, and demonstrate the value of working with people for viable and healthy landscapes and pride of place. Seek excellence and listen to people and you should have a career in which you will never be bored, but may not be grossly wealthy.

BOO K R EV I EW WORLD HERITAGE CULTURAL LANDSCAPES Scientific editors: ANA LUENGO and

MECHTILD RĂ–SSLER

2012 marked the celebration of several major milestones for World Heritage, including the 40th anniversary of the convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage, the World Heritage Convention signed in Paris in 1972 and the 20th anniversary of the incorporation of a new category of properties, Cultural Landscapes, to qualify for World Heritage status alongside cultural, natural and mixed properties, reflecting for the first time ever the close bond between man’s labors and the hand of nature.

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This publication looks at how the concept of cultural landscape has evolved, seeking to contribute to a better and clearer interpretation of this concept,


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 Details of the publication: LUENGO, Ana, RÖSSLER, Mechtild (scientific eds), WORLD HERITAGE CULTURAL LANDSCAPES, Valencia 2012. Published by Elche City Council; with the support of the Directorate-General for Fine Art and Cultural Properties (Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport), and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Number of pages: 364; 650 full-color images. ISBN: 987-84-92667-10-9; Legal deposit: A-3872012. Available in Spanish and English.

TEMPLES, WADAS AND INSTITUTIONS OF PUNE A LEGACY & SYMBOLISM IN ARCHITECTURE

Vishrambagh Wada

Written by PROFESSOR GOPAL KRISHNA This book is a perfect answer to the recent awareKANHERE, reviewed by MS. VASANTI ness among city residents regarding conservation LONDHE and heritage, and with an increase in tourism, everyone is seeking detailed information on its rich About the Author: Emeritus Professor is a profescultural Heritage. sional Architect and a Town Planner of international repute with considerable professional, teaching and This book has 4 distinct parts. The first section is research experience. His special interests include the historical background, the following section Heritage Conservation, Urban Design and Antiques. details the heritage structures and the third section covers culturally significant structures, urban Publisher:Dr Bhanuben College of Architecture for elements across the city and natural heritage sites. Women, Pune, India. The last section makes architectural assessment of WORLD HERITAGE CULTURAL LANDSCAPES structures in detail. city today at the vanguard counThis year, 2012, Pune marks the celebration of severalstands major milestones for World Heritage, includingof the a 40th anniversary of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage – the World Heritage Convention signed in Paris in try that boasts a very rich cultural heritage. Many 1972 – and the 20th anniversary of the incorporation of a new category of properties – Cultural Landscapes – to qualify for World Heritage status alongside cultural, natural and mixed properties, reflecting for the first time ever the close bond between Man’s beautiful temples, wadas (affluent joint family labours and the hand of Nature. homes) and institutional buildings were built durThis publication looks at how the concept of Cultural Landscape has evolved, seeking to contribute to a better and clearer ing the 10th to the 20th Century which were fine interpretation of this concept, help countries define and nominate their heritage with greater accuracy and security, assist the bodies examples of asMaratha and Peshwa architecture responsible for assessing this heritage, such ICOMOS and UICN, support the World Heritage Centre in its constant efforts to study and improve the criteria for framing and guiding actions, and encourage the general public to discover this amazing heritage. styles. The structure of this book includes an introductory section which explores the drafting of the World Heritage Convention and the origins and evolution of Cultural Landscapes. It analyses the assessment criteria and the various amendments made over the years,

Muslim invaders destroyed many structures in the 18th century; while in the present 21st century, an in-depth analysis of the declared landscapes as a whole, drawing conclusions from aspects such as their most outstanding characteristics, thePune most frequently features and the new typologies which are emerging, and presenting a detailed study of cityfound has grown into a metropolis, and the each individual landscape to provide as rounded and analytical a vision as possible. It then ends with an extensive bibliography of need for housing has become the cause of alterageneric and themed works that are of great interest for further study of the subject. tion or destruction of many of these great strucDetails of the publication: tures. Hence the author feels the great urgency to LUENGO, Ana, RÖSSLER, Mechtild (scientific eds), WORLD HERITAGE CULTURAL LANDSCAPES, Valencia 2012. Published by Elche City Council; with the support of the Directorate-General for Fine Art and Cultural Properties (Spanish Ministry of alltheof theWorld heritage structures so650tofull-colour make allISBN: 987Education, Culturerecord and Sport), and UNESCO Heritage Centre. Number of pages: 364; images. 84-92667-10-9; Legal deposit: A-387-2012. Available in Spanish and English. readers aware of our rich legacy which is gradually getting lost.

which have served as guidelines for successive nominations. It examines the challenges involved in safeguarding Cultural Landscapes and the difficulties and concerns involved in conserving and managing them in space and time. The work also contains

typical Wada plan


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 as Hirabagh, Sarasbagh, Vasant Bagh etc, most of which no longer exist today. There was an old custom to protect the forest around famous deities on hilltops. No one ever cut tree there, thus providing sanctuary to wildlife and preserving biodiversity. The temples on many of these hills are still intact and remain un-encroached because of the vigorous efforts of environmentalist to get them included on Heritage lists. Similarly Katraj Lake, Pashan Lake and Khakwasla Lake are not only tourist attractions but also have provided water supply systems to the city since the Peshwa period and now have been included on the protection list. The Mula and Mutha rivers and their banks which run right through the heart of the city are already listed as the most important heritage of the city. Institutional building

In the first section - The rich multi-cultural legacy is beautifully recorded, recreated and documented in the form of detailed descriptions, maps, architectural plans, detailed sketches and photographs (where ever possible) of some 43 significant heritage temples, wadas and institutions. Of special mention are the details of architectural gems such as Narayaneshwar Temple, Punyeshwar Temple, Rameshwar Temple, Purandare Wada, Phadke Wada, etc. The next section covers architecturally less important but culturally significant URBAN elements like Pars, Chowks, Houds, Talims, Gates, Alis and Bols, which dot every street and its corners all over the city and which depict the unique way of life in Pune. Until 20 years back Pune was also known as the Garden City of Western India. This book records details of various natural Heritage sites within the city limits and around its surrounding Hills like Parvati, Vetal Tekdi (Hill), forests, Baghs (Gardens), Howds (water tanks), lakes and rivers that cross through the heart of the city. This book recreates from historical records the details of various well laid out gardens of the 18th century by the Peshwas such

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The last section details plans, elevations, sections, materials, construction techniques, roofs and ceiling decorations, shikhars, courtyards detailing, interiors, services, gardens, symbolism, etc. This section would be very useful for architecture students and scholars. Kartikeya Temple


IFLA Newsletter Issue 103 February 2013 To summarize, this is a very good book for all readers wanting to know more about Pune city, its way of life and its rich historical and cultural legacy. Not only is it a valuable source of information for architects, landscape architects and urban designers, but I am sure it will provide great insight to all readers who want to really know more about Pune. Although this book is an illustrated architectural book, its language and descriptions are very easy to understand and the numerous colorful pictures can be enjoyed by all. Ms. Vasanti Londhe is a Practicing Landscape Architect and Professor at Marathwada Mitra Mandal College of Architecture, Pune, India

“The Nature of Cities” Martha C Fajardo A collective blog on cities as ecological spaces www.thenatureofcities.com “The Nature of Cities” is a collective of contributors — an essay site where all habitat professionals are devoted to cities as ecological places. Founded and edited by Dr. David Maddox (Sound Science LLC, New York City, david.maddox@ thenatureofcities.com. The site is a collaborative of more than 50 writers from many disciplines and from many places around the world. New pieces are published twice weekly, and rotate among our roster. As expressed by David “We are, by design, a diverse group, and our ideas about nature in cities emerge from wide-ranging perspectives. Our members include biologists, ecologists, sociologists, economists, architects, landscape architects (several from IFLA), designers, nature writers, leaders of community organizations, public space managers, lawyers and leaders in international organizations. We live and work in 15 countries and six continents. The study, understanding and

management of urban nature is fundamentally multidisciplinary, and the diversity in our collective honors this fact”


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