Methodological Approach for Landscape Identity Evaluation at the Regional Level

Abstract

The article discusses the complex concepts of landscape identity and landscape character as cornerstones of a landscape’s spatial identity. It provides an overview of the landscape identity concept in Slovenian spatial planning documents and recent attempts to establish a methodology for evaluating landscape identity. The main purpose of the article is to develop a robust framework for evaluating landscape identity at the regional level. Several methodological approaches to identity evaluation, developed within the students’ seminar, are presented and combined into a joint proposal. Regional landscape identity is based on identifying characteristic landscape patterns and features, and evaluating their contribution to regional identity by adopting three groups of measures: (1) the landscape’s typicality or uniqueness, (2) the natural and cultural qualities of the landscape, and (3) the landscape’s structure and coherence. A comparison between methodologies for evaluating national and regional landscape identity shows that, whereas national landscape identity is tied to unique places and landscapes, regional identity is more often built around landscape patterns and types characteristic of a particular region. To implement the identity concept in landscape planning, management, and protection practice, guidelines and measures should follow the initial evaluation to guide the development of these landscapes in an appropriate direction.