http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9618-1162
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ABSTRACT
This article examines local residents’ identity with historic landscapes through the case study of the Austrått landscape in Norway, where cultural and natural heritage are under pressure from increasing local development. In order to understand what the place means to local residents, i.e., how local residents perceive the landscape and how they attach themselves to the landscape, the theory of place identity was applied, which has two dimensions: identity with the place and identity of the place. Local residents were approached by interviewing local farm owners, and by holding a workshop with local interest groups. The findings indicate that local residents have a good understanding of what constitute the qualities and values of the historic landscape; they have a deep attachment to the place, mainly through activities and frequent use, and they expressed a wish to have balance between preserving the past and developing the future. The conclusion argues that, when overseeing a historic landscape that also has a close relationship with local residents, it is crucial to involve these people at all stages of the process, from knowledge generation and evaluation to planning and management. Having local residents actively involved can help ensure the lasting integrity of the qualities and values of historic landscapes, and sustain local residents’ identity with the place.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes on contributors
Dr Ragnhild Skogheim is Senior Researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway. She has specialized in research on urban development and place-making processes, including cultural heritage, place identity and attractiveness. Moreover, she has studied planning systems, planning professions and planning practices. Dr Skogheim has led and participated in several inter-disciplinary and international projects funded by the Research Council of Norway.
Dr Véronique Karine Simon is a researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research and an architect with extensive professional and academic experience in architecture, landscape research and culture heritage issues. She was educated at the Grenoble School of Architecture, France (DPLG Architecture, ENSAG) and at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) (PhD in Landscape Architecture, NMBU). Her research currently focuses on topics related to heritage and landscape values, contextual approaches and participation issues, including several National and European Commission projects, e.g., JPI-CH project CHeriScape. She is project leader of MILJØFORSK research project PARKAS (“Building trust to environmental policy as catalyst for a green transition”).
Dr Lei Gao is a researcher at NMBU, Norway. She received her PhD in landscape architecture at the University of Sheffield, UK, in 2010, and her thesis looks at changing values and management approach of historic gardens and landscapes in China 1900s–2010. Before that, she studied architecture and landscape architecture in China. Since 2013, she has been studying Norwegian gardens and landscapes from a cultural heritage perspective. Her research interests include garden history, spiritual, social and political dimensions of gardens and designed landscapes, theories and methods of landscape heritage conservation, and the management of historical landscapes.
Annegreth Dietze-Schirdewahn is a professor in History of Garden Art at NMBU, Norway. She received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in Landscape architecture from the University in Hannover, Germany and the MA of Arts degree from the University of Bristol, UK, in 1999 and 2006, respectively. She received the Dr.Scient. degree from the University of Life Sciences in Ås, Norway, in 2006. Dietze-Schirdewahn is a voting member of the International Scientific Committee on Cultural Landscapes, ICOMOS. Her current research interests include methods to document and manage historic gardens, social, political and economic aspects of garden art, and the role of landscape architecture in commemoration sites.
ORCID
Véronique Karine Simon http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9618-1162
Notes
1 People participated in the seven in-depth interviews are selected from the list “Official list of properties situated in the case area” provided by Ørland municipality in February 2016. The anonymity of the respondents and the confidentiality of their responses were strictly respected in the in-depth interviews. For this reason, the attributions of quotations from interview transcriptions in this article have been kept anonymous.