8 INTRODUCTION
have correspondingly more influence. Thus, the notion that beauty is in the eye of the beholder is only partly true. Patterns in the landscape Whatever our views, our cultural background or the values we attach to certain landscapes, we perceive them, at the most basic, structural level as patterns. From the first sensory interaction with a new environment we engage the formal aesthetic response and, as part of this, we seek to make sense of its structure and composition. We therefore seek comprehensible patterns in the world around us and to some degree find aesthetic pleasure in particularly coherent examples. Instead of seeing these patterns as merely a picture, pretty or otherwise, it is vital that we understand their origins, especially if we are a designer intent on changing them into something more preferred. Some patterns may be the result of pure ecological processes interacting with landform and climate; others are the result of human activity interacting with natural processes yet are not consciously planned or designed with any aesthetic objective in mind. Such self-organized landscapes may be very attractive. Yet more patterns are specifically designed to appeal to our aesthetic senses. None of these patterns is static; all are subject to evolution and change over time as the result of natural or man-made processes. The pace of change will vary and some changes may be sudden and abrupt while others are more gradual. If we can therefore identify the morphology of a landscape, put it into its cultural context and understand the processes which formed it, we can use this information to inform decisions about its future use, conservation, management or development. We will be able to predict the patterns which will result from certain changes and judge them from an aesthetic point of view. In this way the processes at work in the landscape and the pressures and tendencies for change can be related to our responses and the values attached by our own society and culture. The importance of a visual vocabulary All this mix between ourselves, our idiosyncrasies, personal preferences and wider social and cultural norms, to say nothing of changing tastes and fashions, makes the lot of anyone whose job it is to conserve, manage or develop the environment a very difficult one. Not only does a way have to be found to take account of all these views as well as the physical attributes of the world, there also has to be a recognition of personal views and the way these colour the designer’s own perception. Some things are fairly clear-cut. There is often a great deal of consensus in the population about the best course of action to resolve a particular problem, e.g. lead emission from car exhausts. However, when the subject turns away from the objectivity of science towards the perceived subjectivity of design and aesthetics then the job is far from easy. Resolving some problems may be simpler than others—product design for example, where if customers do not like