Introduction to Cultural Landscapes

In September 2010, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation, the American Society of Landscape Architects Hawai‘i Chapter and the National Park Service presented a workshop on Cultural Landscapes: An Introduction to Historic Landscape Preservation.

The goal of identifying, understanding, protecting, restoring and using cultural landscapes is a subset of historic preservation generally. “Cultural Landscape” is a term to define distinct geographic areas that “represent the combined work of nature and of man.”

While there have been general studies about identification and preservation of cultural landscapes around the world, little systemic work on cultural landscape preservation has been done in Hawai‘i. The Hawai‘i State Register of Historic Places does not receive many nominations for historic or ethnographic landscapes, unless they are incidental features of other historic resources. However, Hawai‘i is ideally situated to contribute to a dialogue about cultural landscape preservation due to its dramatic natural geography, its broad-based recognition of traditional cultural places where Native Hawaiians and other ethnic groups perpetuate both their distinct and intertwined cultures, and a deep-seated respect for the ways in which humans and nature interact.

Examples of significant cultural landscapes in Hawai‘i include such areas as large geological features like Diamond Head; carefully designed gardens like the grounds of Shangri La; or areas formed by everyday life and industry, such as pre-contact fish ponds or irrigated pineapple fields. Perhaps the best known cultural landscape in the Hawaiian Islands are the kalo lo‘i and small towns on Kaua‘i’s north shore between Hanalei and Hā‘ena. Whether they are thousands of acres or a few hundred square feet, cultural landscapes reflect a place’s development and human interaction with the natural world. Preserving them not only keeps that history, but also teaches us about ourselves and how our relationships with the surrounding elements have evolved.

The workshop provided information to the preservation and design communities of Hawai‘i on developing a way of seeing landscapes that emphasizes the interaction between human beings and nature over time. It also recognized that even when landscape preservation standards are broadened to include a wide range of landscape types, strict preservation is not always an appropriate stance. Designers and communities may also choose to transform existing landscapes or create new ones by planning for positive change as well as preventing negative change.

Sponsors

Historic Hawaii Foundation (HHF)

American Society of Landscape Architects Hawai‘i Chapter (ASLA)

National Park Service

Hawaii Council for the Humanities

Office of Hawaiian Affairs

The Queen's Conference Center

Introduction to Cultural Landscapes

A 2-½ day workshop for Identification and Preservation of Cultural Landscapes through a free public educational lecture and a registration-only professional development workshop.

Questions about this Workshop? Please contact us!