Space and Place – Two Aspects of the Human - landscape

Studies of the “human dimension” of landscapes have become increasingly important in landscape also as a “place” with its meanings and contributions to societal identity. In this chapter, we present some of the key theories of landscape experience and empirical research related to those theories. They are grouped around three concepts: First, we survey theories dealing with landscapes perceived as a physical space, covering topics such as environmental preference and the evolutionary basis of the psychological processes through which preferences arise. Secondly, we summarize some of the theories dealing with landscape perceived as place. Here we discuss concepts such as “sense of place” and “place identity”.We emphasize that place identity is a particular element contributing to sense of place.Thirdly, we discuss theory and research concerning the role of landscapes for psychological restoration, which bridges the approaches that treat landscape as space and those which treat it as place. In the conclusion, we provide some suggestions for further integrative work.