Notes from: The Interpretation of Ordinary Landscapes

The Interpretation of Ordinary Landscapes
"Axioms for Reading the Landscape"
Pierce F. Lewis

Landscape should be referred to as cultural landscape. Even the most seemingly mundane, non-designed spaces speak volumes about a region's culture, history and value system. People often lack the skills needed to read landscape, which can be a difficult process for the untrained person.

Axioms are self evident truths or rules which guide the reading of the cultural landscape.

1. The Axiom of Landscape as a Clue to Culture
a. the corollary of cultural change-- people are resistant to change, change shows value
b. the regional corollary-- places that look really different are
c. the corollary of convergence-- places that come to look a like are culturally converging
d. the corollary of diffusion-- imitation is the highest for of flattery
e. the corollary of taste-- taste is cultural

2. The Axiom of Cultural Unity and Landscape Equality-- culture is a whole, no exceptions. Landscape reflects culture. Even the hamburger stand is a cultural clue.

3. The Axiom of Common Things-- negligence makes them hard to read.

4. The Historic Axiom—understand our cultural heritage in that cultural time.
a. the corollary of historical lumpness-- major change happens in leaps, such as the black migration and the boll weevil.
b. the mechanical/ technological corollary-- technology creates land possibilities. Think about the example of the lawn. American culture evolved through technology.
c. the corollary of nonacademic literature-- trade journals reveal sub-forces

5. The Geographic Axiom-- study in geographic context. Spaces are segregated.

6. The Axiom of Environmental Control—effects of conquering geography. Affordable air conditioning changed settlement in the south.

7. The Axiom of Landscape Obscurity—messages in the landscape aren’t obvious. Many times there is little literature or it’s contradictory.