Landscape and Planning: concepts, theories and practices

The course focuses on contested meanings, theories and uses of landscape. Furthermore, and with a particular focus on current issues in landscape and planning, the course will stress unequal relations of power to claim stakes in landscapes, including reasons for unequal powers. The course contains a lecture series and two seminars. The lectures will introduce theories and conceptualisations of landscape; landscape perceptions; landscape values; moral and legal claims to landscape; and participation in planning processes. Theories will be related to practices on the ground through case studies related to e.g. nature management, cultural heritage management and outdoor recreation. The seminars offer a combination of an introduction of a case study by a professional planner, followed by a joint discussion, including relating the case study to the course curriculum.

A student who has completed this course should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge:

• has insight into conceptual, theoretical and methodological challenges related to landscape and planning

Skills:

• is able to use concepts and theoretical debates to analyse value conflicts in landscape and planning, and legal and moral claims to landscapes

General competence:

• is able to communicate contested uses and understandings of landscapes, and how theoretical debates inform current challenges in landscape and planning related to e.g. citizen participation, political representation, different valuations and uses of nature, and urban development and -planning

• Up to 14 hours lectures
• 6 hours seminar

It is expected that compulsories and examinations must be completed in English. Exceptions must be clarified with the lecturer responsible for the course.