The Art of Survival Positioning Landscape Architecture.docx

The Art of Survival Positioning Landscape Architecture.docx

《The Art of Survival Positioning Landscape Architecture.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《The Art of Survival Positioning Landscape Architecture.docx（15页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

TheArtofSurvivalPositioningLandscapeArchitecture

作者：

俞孔坚 　　发表：

TheArtofSurvival:

RecoveringLandscapeArchitecture,KongjianYuandMaryPadua（Editor）,Images,2006

（KeynoteSpeechdeliveredatthe2006ASLAAnnualMeetingand43rdIFLAWorldCongress,Minneapolis,USA,October7,2006.Reprinted（withextensiveediting）,fromConferenceSpeakerSummaries.）

KongjianYu,ASLA

DeanandProfessor,TheGraduateSchoolofLandscapeArchitecture,PekingUniversityandPresident,Turenscape,Beijing,China

Abstract

Inaneweraofmultipleunprecedentedchallengesimposedbytheprocessesofindustrializationandurbanization,landscapearchitectureisnowonthevergeofchangeintheworld,andespeciallyinChina.ItistimeforthisprofessiontotakethegreatopportunitytopositionitselftoplaythekeyroleinrebuildinganewLandofPeachBlossomsforanewsocietyofurbanized,global,andinterconnectedpeople.Inordertopositionitselfforthissacredrole,landscapearchitecturemustdefineitselfintermsoftheartofsurvival,notjustasadescendentofgardening.Theprofessionmustre-evaluatethevernacularofthelandandthepeople,andleadthewayinurbandevelopmentbyplanninganddesigninganinfrastructureofbothlandscapeandecology,throughwhichlandscapecanbecreatedandpreservedasamedium,andastheconnectinglinkbetweentheland,thepeople,andthespirits.

Introduction

Chinaisnowatthestageofreshapingitsruralandurbanlandscape.Urbanization,globalizationandthespreadofmaterialismhaveprovidedanopportunityforlandscapearchitectureasaprofessiontoaddressthefollowingthreemajorchallengesandopportunitiesinthecomingdecades.First,asolutionmustbefoundtoaddresstheenergyandenvironmentalcrises.Second,culturalidentitymustberegained,andthird,thesenseofspiritualconnectiontotheearthmustbeenhanced.Thesignificanceoflandscapearchitectureasaprofessionindealingwiththeseworldwidechallengesiscomprehensiveinitsscope,examiningthecomplexityofnaturalandbiologicalprocesses,culturalandhistoricalinfluences,andspiritualcomponents.

IFLApresidentMarthaFajardosaysthat"Landscapearchitectistheprofessionofthefuture".Thefutureoftheprofessionispositiveanditisinauniquepositiontodealwiththelandscapeasanagentforpositivechange.Thisfuturewillonlybeoursifweareprepared.

Toaddressthischallenge,thispaperwillfocusonseveralissuesregardingthedirectioninwhichlandscapearchitectureisheaded.Thesequestionsincludeananalysisofthecurrentera,thechallengesandopportunitiesthatlandscapearchitecturecurrentlyface,astudyofthemissionofcontemporarylandscapearchitectureanditsgoal,andfinallyalookathowlandscapearchitecturecantaketheleadroleinaddressingthemajorchallengesofthetime.Itwillalsoexaminethestrategiesandadjustmentslandscapearchitectureshouldtaketomeetthesechallengesandcomparethestrategiesthatlandscapearchitectscanutilizetofulfillthismission.

1TheLandofPeachBlossomsandtheOriginofLandscapeArchitectureasanArtofSurvival

InanancientChinesestoryaboutalandofpeachblossoms,toldbypoetTaoYuanming（365-427AD）.Afishermantravelingalongastreaminaboatchancesuponaplaceframedatbothsidesbyblossomingpeachtrees.Inthelegend,theplace,thesourceofthestream,washiddenbehindahill.Thelandhadwell-cultivatedbasins,paths,ditches,wassurroundbylushforest-coveredhills,andwasconnectedbyasinglenarrowcave.Inthisisolatedutopianlandscape,acommunitylivedhappilyasafamily,wheretheelderlywerehealthyandtheyoungwerelively.Thefishermanwaswelcomedintothepeoples'homesandtreatedwithgeneroushospitality,andwasentertainedwithwineandbountifulfood.Afterthefishermanleftthelandofpeachblossomsandreturnedtothecity,hecouldneveragainfindthisland.Thisis,inessence,theoriginalstoryofShangri-La,amystical,harmoniousvalleydescribedin1933byBritishnovelistJamesHiltoninLostHorizon.

Sincewehaveexperiencedsuchharmoniouslandscapes,webelievethattherewereandstillarenumerousChineseruralvillagesthatcanbedescribedtodayaslandsofpeachblossoms.Theyaretheproductofthousandsofyearsofthetrialsanderrorsofouragriculturalancestors.Naturaldisasters,includingfloods,droughts,earthquakes,landslides,soilerosion,aswellastheexperienceoffieldmaking,irrigation,andfoodproduction,taughtourancestorstocreateandmaintainsuchlandsasthelandofpeachblossoms.Itwastheskillandartofsurvivalthatrenderedourlandscapeproductive,safe,beautiful,andmeaningful（Figure01）.

ForthousandyearsagoinChina'sYellowRiverValley,duringoneofseveralthousandnaturaldisasters,avillagewascompletelyburiedbyafloodandsubsequentlandslide,killingallofitsinhabitants.Whenamotherwasbeingburiedinthemud,sheprotectedherbabychild,raisedherhead,stretchedherarms,andcalledthegodsforhelp（Figure02）.Therespondinggod,DaYu,wasconsideredadeitywhowasabletomakefriendswiththefloods,andwhobegantouserulesandmeasures,andmadewiseuseofthelandtoselectasafeplaceforthepeopletobuildacity.DaYuwasChina'sfirstemperor（Figure03）.

Thus,landscapearchitecturehaditsoriginsincombinationwiththeartofsurvivalandtheemperor'sleadership.

Itwasthisemperor'sartofsurvivalandlandstewardship,whichevolvedoverthousandsofyearsoftrialanderror,thathelpedthedisasterstrickenChinesepeopleselectsafeplacesfortheirsettlements.Theytilledfieldsyetkeptthesoilsafefromerosion,divertedwaterforirrigation,andselectedtherightplantsforfoodproduction（Figure04）.

Unfortunately,theydidnotappreciatetherealtraditionallandscapeoftheChinesevernacularofthelandofpeachblossoms,becausetheybelongedtothelowerculturethatsurvivedbecauseofsubsistence-aculturewhichwaslongassociatedwithlabouringandinferiority.

Instead,for2000years,theeliteclassofnoblesandemperorsrecreatedthelandofpeachblossomsforpleasure,usingornamentsandfalserockeries,whichbecamecelebratedasthehighartofgardening.

Ironically,thisartacceleratedthedeclineofthefeudalistChineseempire.Inthissense,theartofgardeninghadnomorerelevancethantheartoffootbinding,whichwassomuchappreciatedbytheemperorsandnobles（Figure05a-07）.

Thisdecayingartofgardeningwasrecognizedasaglorioustraditionofnationalidentity,andremainshighlyregardedbycurrentwesternandChinesescholarsalike（Figure08a,b）.

Incontrast,whenbuildingthecitiesoftomorrow,createdbytakingmaturetreesfromthevillages,divertingstreamsfromfarms.ItistheactualvernacularoftheLandofPeachBlossomsthatisbeingdestroyed（Figure09a-10b）.

2TheLossofLandofPeachBlossoms:

ChallengesandOpportunitiesforLandscapeArchitecture

TheroleofagriculturehasdeclinedinChina'surban-focusedeconomy,alongwiththeskillsandtheartofagriculturalcultivationandstewardship.Thisprocessbeganwiththegardensofclassicalscholarsfromthousandsofyearsago,andhasnowspreadtocivicartandlandscapedesign.Landscapedesign,oncetheartoftheemperors,hasdescendedintotherealmofthetrivial.Thousandsoflandscapearchitectscompeteforatinypieceoflandinthecity.Simultaneously,themajorriversrundryandpolluted,theundergroundwatertablecontinuestodrop,andinthenorth,sandstormsareaffectingthearea'sarableland.

Eachyear,theprocessesofurbanizationandmaterializationlureonepercent（approximately13millionpeople）oftheChinesepopulationtoabandontheirLandofPeachBlossomsandrushintothecity.Thisprocesshasexpandedurbanboundariesandencroachedonagriculturalland（Figure11a,b）.Thesacredfengshuiforestshavebeencutandreplacedwithornamentalflowers.Thegraveyardsofourancestorshavebeenleveledandtheirremainsabandonedorremovedtotheplannedcemetery.Pondsinfontoftheformervillageshavebeenfilled,andwholevillageshavebeenwipedoutandreplacedwithglorious,exotic,stylishwalledcommunities.Themeanderingcountryroadsarebeingreplacedwithsix-lanemotorwaysandaBaroqueaxis（YuandLi,2003,2005）.

Inthelate1980sandearly1990s,theChinesebegantoworktowardcampaignstobeatifytheircities,inlinewiththe"newsocialistcountryside"campaignlaunchedbythecentralChinesegovernment.ThishasplacedChineselandscapeplanninganddesignagainattheforefrontofanimportantprecipice;thereexiststhedangeroflosingecologicalintegrity,culturalidentityandhistoricalheritage,whiletherealsoexiststhegreatopportunitytocreateanewrelationshipbetweenthelandandthepeopleinthecurrentera.

Alongwiththeprocessesofurbanization,thedisappearanceofthelandofpeachblossomsisobvious.Thepresenteramarksoneofglobalizationandthespreadofmaterialism.ThishasbroughtthreemajorchallengesandopportunitiestolandscapearchitectureinChina.

2.1TheFirstChallenge:

CanWeBeSustainable?

ThefirstchallengeisChina'sdeterioratingenvironmentandecology.AttheheartofthismatterisChinesesurvivalandsustainability（Figure12a,b）.

sixty-fivepercentofChina's1.3billionpeoplewill,within20years,liveincities（thepresentrateis40percent）.Twothirdsofthe662citieslacksufficientwaterandnotasingleriverintheurbanandsuburbanareasrunsunpolluted.ThousandsofdamscrisscrossnearlyallriversinChina.Morethanever,thegeneralChinesep