Qualitative and Quantitative Research in Landscape
Evaluation and Qualities
within a group of mainly English speaking people
and their landscape of the Ariege
Qualitative and Quantitative Research in Landscape Evaluation
and Qualitieswithin a group of mainly English speaking peopleand
their landscape of the Ariege
.
Introduction
Within the English speaking community, what qualities in the
landscape played a role in their decision to move here?
What landscape factors/features do they perceive , appreciate
and continue to play a role in their daily lives?
And how do these perceptions and valuations relate to the
character of this area?
Motivation
In Maslows terms primary needs are those to keep the body alive
(water, food and shelter) followed by those of social survival (a
position in society and recognition). Only when these lower needs
are covered can come inner or spiritual developmental
needs.(=personal development)
In this sequence these needs primarily connect the human being to
the natural ecosystem environment, to the social environment and
the cultural environment.(see illustration 1).
Jacobs (2004)
First there is Matterscape which refers to the physical aspects
of the landscape. One can also call it the factual or true
landscape; It is the landscape, which is the object of geographers
and natural scientist and the action ground for civil engineers.
Then we have Powerscapes, which refer to the values and rules a
certain group of people hold at a certain time; One can call it the
right or just landscape, it is the inter-subjective landscape,
which is the domain of action-groups, lawyers and politicians. And
then there is the Mindscape, this is the landscape how people
experience it, which is for each individual different. One can call
it the real or inner landscape, it is the subjective landscape, it
is the landscape how we actually experience it, including the
meaning it has for us.( and memories, associations, etc. or ground
for action, activities etc.).
Dominant attributes in the perception and evaluation on
landscapes (Coeterier)
His basic theory (Coeterier, 1987) is that perception is a
cognitive activity and that the properties of perception have a
structuring and meaning attribution and action-foundation, with
which I understand that;We always structure the perceptional world
in various ways between two polarities; the whole (Gestalt) and
individual parts. We always attribute meaning towards the
perceptional world, either more social-culturally determined or
more in an affective personal way. And thirdly we always have a
certain intention, motivation in what we want to do.Also according
to him perception and appreciation are closely related He agrees
with others that values can be seen as qualities, attributes by
which things are distinguished. To appreciate something is to see
its qualities.
Unity/Character and Function
1 Unity 2 Use and Own use 3 Naturalness 4 Care5 Spaciousness 6
History 7 Seasonality 8 Sensory Qualities 9 A-Biotic content
Questionnaire
Why are we here?What aspects of the Ariege / Aude did influence
your decision to move here? and What are we doing here?What aspects
of the Ariege / Aude play now a role in your daily life?and your
own valuation and characterisation of your own landscape.
Coherence / Unity / Character of the Landscape
QualityMeanSD
UNITY9,21,1
All things fit together6,52,8
New fits old5,53
Coherence7,12,5
Diversity7,82,6
Unity/Coherence and Diversity
This is also a difficult subject which is pointed out by
Hendriks, K. and Stobbelaar, D.J.(2003) that too much diversity
without coherence leads to chaos, and coherence without diversity
leads to monotony. So we talk here about a certain paradoxical
polarity.Coeterier himself used the interview method in which case
such problems could be avoided, whereas de Vries, S. & an
Kralingen used the questionnaire, but then it was in a different
language and this could make a difference too.
History
QualityMeanSD
History8,61,3
With the times6,13
Absorb new easily5,52,6
Style/ form fits4,72,1
Keep old6,31,7
Care old4,22,3
History(Interviews)
Monuments/Houses/Orris/Living history
In relation to modern developments the interviewees all found
that they do not fit within the landscape, specially the
lotissements, although one remarked that luckily the bungalows are
only one storey high, so one can look over them. But one remarked
He could put an axe to it and another remarked It is the way they
put them there and the fourth remarked that there are tax breaks
for new developments, old village centres are dying and there is no
forward planning and the only difference between the bungalows here
and the ones in Calais is the pitch of the roof .
Outskirts of Laroque d'Olmes
Traditional farm house
Aigues Vives
Outskirts of Pamiers
Traditional village
Industry
Funeral business next to factory
Grainstore
Next to Grainstore
Motivation
France; Country neither too foreign nor too far from England
Climate better then EnglandAlthough winters longer and colder
then expected
One of the main factors which determined the wish to live here
is the landscape of the Ariege, with its diverse, rural and
underpopulated landscape with vast tracts of mountains and wild
areas.
It was the view of the rural landscape with the background of
the rising mountains that prompted most people to decide to come
here.
Motivation
While they sat on a terrace regarding the Mont dOlmes area, his
wife fell in love with the place.
Was first attracted by the Tuscanian landscape of the Aude on a
visit, but then discovered the more savage wild nature of the
Ariegois landscape, which she preferred
When they were south of Toulouse and her husband saw the
mountains, he said lets go there
When we came over from Fanjaux ,we saw the wonderful vista of
the mountains in front of us, in September, a clear blue sky and I
said to my wife; This is it
Discussion
I came to the thought that through life there is a certain
sequence of the three levels of needs mentioned by Maslow.First our
basic need is to find our place in the physical world and to be
able to look after ourselves (provision of food, shelter etc.),
then comes a time when we have the need to be part of the social
fabric and be recognised as a capable person and make our stamp on
the world and then comes a time when we need to do something we
want to do, something more for ourselves, more in a creative
way.
Conclusion
In relation to the three original questions, we have seen that
this group of people came here for a change in the later part of
their life and were mainly in a situation, where they don't have to
work and were looking for a life within a country not too far or
too foreign, with a nice climate and where they can appreciate and
use the landscape for leisure or creative purposes. So their
valuation of the perceptional properties the landscape is seen very
much from the point of view of enjoyment and re-creative use.The
group highly appreciated the landscape and agreed very much with
each other that the Ariege is a wonderful, rural and peaceful
landscape, whose character gives a rich experience of spaciousness,
seasonality, naturalness, rich in sense-impressions and
history.
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