Reframing Cultural Landscape: Geophilosophy, Spatial Experience and Design Practices

A geophilosophical interpretation of cultural landscape as a dynamic field where memory, spatial experience, and design practices converge.

Abstract

This article reconsiders the concept of cultural landscape through the
intersection of geophilosophy and contemporary design practices. While
traditional interpretations often describe landscape as a material outcome
of interactions between environment and human settlement, this
study proposes a relational and process-oriented framework in which landscape
is understood as a dynamic cultural field shaped by perception,
memory, and spatial practices.
Drawing on philosophical reflections on place, territoriality, and spatial
experience, the article argues that cultural landscapes should be interpreted
as historically layered configurations in which symbolic meanings,
material forms, and collective practices interact across time. Within this
perspective, landscape becomes not only an object of representation but
also an epistemological and operational framework for understanding and
shaping spatial transformations.
By bridging theoretical reflection and design-oriented approaches, the
article demonstrates how geophilosophy can provide a conceptual foundation
for interpreting landscape complexity, while design practices offer
tools for engaging with its ongoing transformation. The study contributes
to current debates in landscape studies and spatial humanities by framing
cultural landscape as a living cultural process that links interpretation,
memory, and territorial design.