Download - Urban Landscape Article

8/3/2019 Urban Landscape Article

1/7

1

Urban landscapes as interpretative instruments to express political power

Daniela DUMBRVEANU1, Aurel GHEORGHILA1, Anca TUDORICU11 University of Bucharest, Faculty of Geography, Human and Economic Geography Department

Romania

Abstract:

This article is interested in presenting the principle of using landscape, especially urban landscape to

express identities and political power. It discusses the fact that the process of understanding landscape is a matter

of interpreting a meaning which is always based on founded assumptions and speculations.

It is also discussing the idea that different things will hold a different meaning to different people

emphasizing perception as an important aspect in social constructs of landscapes. Starting form the point were

world is considered a huge album and society is basically a visual culture, the importance of images of places is

presented and considered as a base for further development for how landscapes are both managed and

communicated to people.Several case studies are considered to illustrate the argument of how urban landscapes can become

instruments to interpret and express political power.

Key words: urban landscape, interpretation, landscapes of power, national identity

1.INTRODUCTION

Despite what most of the people think and

believe, landscape, weather natural, rural orurban, it is not easy to decipher and

understand. Landscape is easy to look at and

find attractive, boring or dull. But it is

certainly difficult to understand its degrees of

complexity, its functions and the messages it

might be communicating to public, visitors or

tourists. In other words, landscape is difficult

to interpret, due to the fact thatreading itis not a matter of finding a typical culturalarea, but a matter of seeing how landscapes

come to mean different things to differentpeople and how their meanings change and are

contested (Crang, 1998). Understanding

landscape is a matter of interpreting a meaning

which is always based on founded

assumptions and speculations due to the

complexity of the concept. Even the natural

landscape would imply assumptions when it

comes to be interpreted by humans, but this

paper it is mainly interested and focused on

human built landscapes. Normally all

landscapes incorporate a built, tangible

environment, and also an immaterial

dimension attached to it which is normally

given by the readers point of view. This iscalled perception.

According to Crang (1998) andHolloway & Hubbard (2001), people make

sense of places or construct places in their

minds through three processes. First, through

planned interventions such as planning, urban

design; second, through the way in which they

or others use specific places; and third,

through various forms of place representationssuch as films, novels, paintings, news reports

and so on. It is generally acknowledged that

people encounter places through perceptions

and images. As Holloway & Hubbard (2001,p. 48) describe this, interactions with places

may be through direct experience of theenvironment or indirectly through media

representations. However, what is critical ishow this information is processed, namely, via

mental processes of cognition, to form stable

and learned images of place, which are the

basis in peoples everyday interactions withthe environment, built or natural. It is the

mental representations either in the form of

maps or images, that individuals create to


2/7

2

allow them to navigate through complex

reality, because our surroundings are oftenmore complex than the sense we make of

them. Reading landscapes deals specificallywith such mental images. Understanding

landscapes centres on peoples perceptionsand images and puts them at the heart of

constructed, orchestrated activities, designed

to shape the place and its future. When it

comes to managing the landscape situation

could become an attempt to influence and treat

those mental maps in a way that is favourable

to the present circumstances and future needs

of the space.

2. URBAN LANDSCAPES ASSOCIAL CONSTRUCTS

Present society it is definitelydominated by its visual culture. Therefore

world can be looked at through its visual

dimension, red through it and also understood.

Hence it can be seen as an album with a

multitude of landscapes including thelandscapes: of everyday life, of power, of

conflict, even of the body, which are in a

strong interdependence, creating a vision ofreality for each one of its members.

According to anthropologist

Appadurai (1986), things create people as

much as people create things; therefore a

social relationship doesnt necessarily existexclusively between human beings thecomponents of landscapes hold metaphorical

meanings that can convey understanding and

insight into past, present and future societies.

In this respect, the urban landscape is

probably the most interesting case. City is thepoint of maximum concentration for the power

and culture of a community. The city does not

simply happen; it is rather the a cumulative

product, the creation of many lifetimes of

creative efforts(Lewis Mumford, cited inBowman 1995:44). The city is a palimpsest

and a landscape of power; it is a composite the sum of all the erasures and over-writings, an overview of the societys history.Urban landscape is a result of a temporal

process; each of its layers is a symbol of an

era. Cities are complex places, they never

present a clear historical picture that can be

comprehended at a glance; they are a collage

of landscapes changing through time thatembody meaning.

Sometimes urban landscapes are more

than just a creation, they are psychological

tools, which can subtly impose points of view.

According to Winchester (2003:66) one ofthe key ways in which power can be

expressed, maintained and indeed, enhanced,

is through the control and manipulation of

landscapes and the practices of everyday life.This is how the powerful social groups are

trying to impose their versions of reality to theothers, shaping the environment after their

own interests and affecting the entireaxiological system of the community by

proposing their own values.

Therefore the landscapes of power are

meant to reflect and reveal the power of thosewho construct, define and maintain them,

having the capacity to legitimise the powerful

by affirming the ideologies that created them

in the first place(Winchester, 2003:67).Cities provide many examples oflandscapes of power, such as buildings,

monuments and even street names.

Architecture has always been an easy way to

express political power since the ancienttimes; pyramids were built to shelter the

coffins of the kings, symbolising their rank

and importance. Magnificent churches and

cathedrals were constructed to express faith of

communities, fortresses, monuments and other

edifices were built to reflect power, tocelebrate importance, to commemorate

golden ages. Buildings have been used toexpress power of communities, power of

events and also to evoke history, normaly

through style, size, colour, shape etc..

3. CASE STUDIES OF LANDSCAPES OF

POWERNowadays some buildings have kept

size to expressing and suggesting the power of

their creator. Size it is also used in buildings to


3/7


4/7

4

Figure 2: Casa PoporuluiThe House of the People,

today: Source:http://theraconteur.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html

Frequently this type of building goes

hand in hand with creating a whole urbanlandscape through which the political power is

suggested. Commemorative street names,

especially in urban areas are the most used

element to evoke power. Their reading and

interpretation could also be difficult, as theyare public memorialisation of a nation,

introducing the national history into theeveryday consciousness of the urban

populace(Light, 2004:155).According to Azaryahu (1997:479),

as a ritual of revolution, the is a demonstrative act of substantial

symbolic value and political resonance,introducing the political-ideological shift into

ostensibly mundane and even intimate levels

of human activities and settings. Hence, thecommemorative street names are not only

instrumental for mapping of the geography ofthe city, but also provide an official and

authorised mapping of history(Azaryahu,1997:480).

The collapse of communist regime

has involved the redefinition of whole life,

society economy, political system, including

the axiological system of the population and

its national identity.

The reborn society focuses onrejecting the socialist past as much as on

shaping a new reality. This also implies the

reconfiguration of the landscapes, whichincludes the removal of the public statuary and

monuments relevant for the communism and

the reconstructions of the iconic buildings that

had previously been demolished by socialist

regimes. (Light, 2004) Moreover, the

renaming of the streets is an important

exercise of power for the new authorities,

being meant to bury the recent past and tocommemorate the relevant events for the

history of the nation. For example, in

Bucharest there were 288 street name changesbetween 1990 and 1997 in order to

demonstrate Romanias post-socialistorientation and aspiration(Light, 2004:161).

Some of these streets names have

focused on the commemoration of the 1989

revolution when more than 1000 persons lost

their lives in order to put the basis of a new

Romania. Places like the location of the

former Communist Party headquarters (and a

main field of battle during the revolution) became national symbols: RevolutionSquare. Even in front of the massive buildingof House of the People the street signs

celebrate the new era Romania hasentered Bulevardul Libertii (LibertyBoulevard) and Bulevardul Naiunilor Unite(United Nations Boulevard). (Figure 3)

Figure 3 - Street signs in front of the

House of the People; Source:http://theraconteur.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html
http://theraconteur.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.htmlhttp://theraconteur.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.htmlhttp://theraconteur.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.htmlhttp://theraconteur.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.htmlhttp://theraconteur.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.htmlhttp://theraconteur.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html


5/7

5

Other streets were renamed after

cities where many had died in the fighting

(Timioara, Braov, Sibiu) or after individuals

who have died in the revolution.On the other hand, pre-socialist

political personalities overshadowed by the

communism regime were also commemorated,

important boulevards being named after liberal

politicians (like Ion C. Brtianu) or afterRomanias kings (Carol I, Ferdinand).Moreover, figures from culture and science

especially from the period of Greater Romania

(1918-1938, when Romania was as its great

territorial extent) were celebrated, including

musicians (George Enescu), painters (TheodorPallady), architects (Petre Antonescu, Ion

Mincu), actors (George Vraca), philosophers(Constantin Stere), scientists and many others.

The same change happened in Berlin after the

fall of the wall; the German reunification that

followed led to the renaming of East BerlinsGDR past, demonstrating the politicaltransformation and emphasizing the aspect of

democratisation as the quintessence of the

process (Azaryahu, 1997:491).The process of decommemoration hadtwo different stages the first one, in 1991,represented the effort of the district politicians

to erase the Stalinist past from the cityscape,

and the second one, more complex, was

prompted by the Senate later on. The

Independent Commission which was set up in

1993 was meant to examine the street names

in the city centre and to suggest alternatives

where needed. After the decision that Pierk,

Marx and Engels must disappear(BerlinerZeitung, cited in Azaryahu, 1997:490) and

many disputes among the politicians, Marx-

Engels Platz and Wilhelm-Pieck-Strasse were

renamed, restoring their former names:

Schlossplatz and Torstrasse. In this way, thetraces of the former communist German state

were erased from the cityscape, showing the

beginning of a new era.

Another way in which the political

power can be materialized is through themonuments that can contribute to the social

constructions of ideologies. Although most are

emblems of the past, the present still offers

examples of using prominent sites to make

political statements. Danish architect JohanOtto von Sprecklesens Arche de La Dfense(Figure 4) is one of the recent symbols of

Paris, which contributes to the cityscollection of monumental architecture. Part of

Francois Mitterands ambitious buildingprogram, les Grands Travaux, the Grande

Arche is situated in the centre of the new

Parisian business and financial district, stating

its signification in the realm of French

capitalism.

It is obvious that the buildingembodies public investment, but it accentuates

governmental control and imposes its politicalpower through its manipulation of the past.

The Grande Arche is related to the Arch de

Triomphe and uses this symbolism not only to

identify the citys northwestern extension, butalso to welcome new business interests to La

Dfense (Chaslin, 1989). Moreover, thesuccess of this monument made Francois

Mitterrand continue the series of grandprojects, including the extension of Louvre,

adaptive reuse of Muse dOrsay, variousprojects for la Villete, LInstitute du MondeArabe, Le Ministre des Finances andLOpra de la Bastille.

Figure 4 - La Grande Arche de la Dfense

Source:http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Grande_Arche_d

e_La_D%C3%A9fense_et_fontaine.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Grande_Arche_de_La_D%C3%A9fense_et_fontaine.jpghttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Grande_Arche_de_La_D%C3%A9fense_et_fontaine.jpghttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Grande_Arche_de_La_D%C3%A9fense_et_fontaine.jpghttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Grande_Arche_de_La_D%C3%A9fense_et_fontaine.jpghttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Grande_Arche_de_La_D%C3%A9fense_et_fontaine.jpg


6/7

6

Furthermore, La Grande Arche de la

Dfense is expressing Francois Mitterrandsintention to create modern monuments that

underline Frances central role in art, politics,and the world economy at the end of the 20

th

Century.

One another significant concerning

the reading of the landscape is the fact that the

monuments are used to communicate along

history specific messages. Normally,

monuments are designed by artists who are

using suggestion and symbols to communicate

to express their signification, commemorating

the period or the personality they represent,

while the buildings amplify more theirarchitectural value.

Referring back to capital City ofBucharest one significant example is the

Revolution Square with a complex of

monuments. The most visible monument is

also the most recent, namely Memorial of

Rebirth or Revivals Memorial as itsinterpretation states. Revolution Square also

accommodates Iuliu Manius statue, Corneliu

Coposu statue and the Memorial Flame.

Figure 5: Revolution square. Source :

http://tibinews.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/piata-

revolutiei.jpg

The Square it is a typical case of a

landscape being used to commemorate a

historical period/event and people. Memorial

of Rebirth though heavily contested does

communicate the whole message of the place.

Firstly it has been designed to be land

mark of the 1989 Romanian Revolution andthe core of the historical space from within the

square. Secondly it was specifically designed

to continue in telling the modern story of the

nation by subtly and unconventionally

incorporating the other statues already existing

in the area. The other two statues, of Iuliu

Maniu and Corneliu Coposu, on one hand are

evoking the personalities of the famous

politicians on the other are the symbol of anti

communist battle, both during interwar and

post communist period. The lay out of thewhole square with former Royal Palace on its

western side (presently Romanian NationalMuseum of Art); Central Committee of the

Communist Party on the eastern one (presently

Ministry of Interior and Administrative

Reform); was the explanation of the events of

the Romanian Revolution. The same lay out it

is presently very convenient to express the

story of those events in a commemorative

way. The Memorial of Rebirth through its

four components , design and inclusion of all

the other square memorial elements is an

example of using urban landscape to interpret

history and national identity. The very firstmemorial component is The Victory Path,

routed in the painful failure of Iuliu Maniu(prominent Romanian politician, National

Peasant Christian Democratic Party, well

known for his anti communist idea) to defeat

communism, under the sad looks ofCorneliu Coposu ( same Peasant Christian

Party, anti communist, better known after

1989 as politician and for his actions to reform

post communist politics), leads the young

heroes The Reminiscence Wall and

Recollection Square. Reminiscence Wall does

list the name of all people who died during

December 1989 events. Recollection Square is

restating the faith of the nation through theorthodox cross cast in wooden inside the

marble pavement of the square. The core of
http://tibinews.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/piata-revolutiei.jpghttp://tibinews.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/piata-revolutiei.jpghttp://tibinews.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/piata-revolutiei.jpghttp://tibinews.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/piata-revolutiei.jpghttp://tibinews.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/piata-revolutiei.jpg


7/7

7

the Recollection Square and the Revolution

Square is the core of the orthodox cross from

which it springs The Pyramid of Victory to

commemorate both the people who haveobtained it and the collapse of communism

and express hope of a free future.

4. CONCLUSIONSThe power of this landscape and the

symbols used to express it, is complex. This

space evokes history, commemorates events

and people, states national identity and tells

the story of the place. Interpreting such a

landscape is a challenge and almost always a

controversy, which has been the case ofRevolution Square and the Memorial of

Rebirth.As mentioned above, power is

constructed through space; landscape is a

social creation, a consequence of attitudes and

actions and a witness of a nations layers oflife. According to Bourdieu (1997), the

construction and the distribution of the built

environment allow the transmission of the

meaning from one generation to the next,therefore landscape can only be interpreted in

its own context, in terms of time and space.

This is one of the reasons that make the public

memorialisations of a nation become a

subject to multiple readings andinterpretations (Bell, 1999, cited in Light,2004:155).

5. REFERENCES

Appadurai, A., 1986, The Social Life ofThings: Commodities in Cultural Perspective,

Cambridge: Polity Press

Azaryahu, M., 1997, German reunification

and the politics of street names:the case of

East Berlin, Political Geography, vol. 16, no.

6, 479-493

Bourdieu, P., 1997, Pascalian meditations,

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Bowman, A. and Pagano, M., 1995,

Cityscapes & Capital, The Politics of Urban

Development, Baltimore and London: John

Hopkins University Press

Chaslin, F., 1989, A monument in

perspective, La Grande Arche de la Dfense,Electra Moniteur, 19-125

Holloway L. & P. Hubbard (2001), People

and Place: The Extraordinary Geographies of

Everyday Life. Harlow

Light, D., 2001, Facing the future: tourismand identity-building in post-socialist

Romania, Political Geography 20, 1053-1074

Light, D., 2004, Street names in Bucharest,

1970-1997: exploring the modern historical

geographies of post-socialist change, Journal

of Historical Geography, 30, 154-172Winchester, H., 2003, Landscapes: Ways of

imagining the world, Pearson Education

Download - Urban Landscape Article

Top Related