U N I T 1 LANDSCAPE AND THE ENVIRONMENT This Unit deals with the environment, which includes landscapes, people, land use, buildings and structures. You will learn about sustainability and green buildings. A. THE CONCEPT OF LANDSCAPE Landscape is the visible part of earth determined by the coherence and mutual influence of soils, climate and wildlife, as well as by human interference. The term comes from the Dutch word landschap, the name given to paintings of the countryside. Geographers have borrowed the word from artists. A landscape that people have modified is called a cultural landscape. People and the plants they grow, the animals they care for, and the structures they build make up cultural landscapes. Such landscapes can vary greatly. They can be as different as a vast cattle ranch in Argentina or the urban landscape of Tokyo, Japan. Landscape may be classified under specific categories: Landscape architecture concerns the relationship between people and their environment. It is the design of outdoor public areas, landmarks, and structures to achieve environmental or aesthetic results. Landscape art is the representation of landscapes through art, with natural scenery, such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. Landscape art Claude Monet Poppy field. 116