This article was downloaded by: [Laurentian University]On: 04 October 2014, At: 22:53Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH,UK

The Professional GeographerPublication details, including instructions forauthors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rtpg20

A Review of “CulturalLandscapes”Leon Yacher aa Department of Geography , Southern ConnecticutState University , New Haven, CTPublished online: 04 Jun 2010.

To cite this article: Leon Yacher (2010) A Review of “Cultural Landscapes”, TheProfessional Geographer, 62:3, 450-451, DOI: 10.1080/00330124.2010.488498

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00330124.2010.488498

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450 Volume 62, Number 3, August 2010

The book has great potential as a textbookfor upper level undergraduate courses. This po-tential is enhanced by the inclusion of boxes,chapter summaries, discussion questions, “fur-ther reading” lists, and Web sites. I would havethought a map or two would make an appear-ance, and the visuals in general are fairly sparse,given the textbook styling. Yet the book’s util-ity outweighs these minor shortcomings, par-ticularly because it is also a book valuable forresearch purposes, providing engaged, high-level arguments on a number of key debates.McEwan’s extensive and ecumenical readingof postcolonial studies, development geogra-phy, and global feminism are put to good usethroughout the text.Key Words: development studies, discourse, femi-nism, postcolonial theory.

ReferencesFerguson, J. 2006. Global shadows: Africa in the ne-

oliberal world order. Durham, NC: Duke UniversityPress.

Power, M. 2003. Rethinking development geographies.London and New York: Routledge.

Cultural Landscapes. Richard Longstreth, ed.Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press,2008. vii and 218 pp., maps, photos, notes,and index. $25.00 paper (ISBN 978-0-8166-5099-6).

Reviewed by Leon Yacher, Department of Ge-ography, Southern Connecticut State Uni-versity, New Haven, CT.

This book is a collection of selected papers(one exception) that were delivered at the Na-tional Forum on Historic Preservation Practiceconference in 2004. Written mostly by non-geographers, this is a book that should be of in-terest to those who would appreciate a differentview of landscape interpretation, particularly asit relates to historic preservation. In addition tothe introduction, the book is divided into twoparts for a total of twelve chapters. Part I exam-ines how landscapes are interpreted, whereasPart II scrutinizes the issues of management.

The diversity of authors ensured a not onlyvaried discussion of topics but also differentviewpoints of how to deal with historic areasand show strategies on saving specific sites. Bydesign, the editor selected works that specif-

ically dealt with case studies. Each chapterwould provide ideas and strategies for thosecontemplating acting on their own specific sit-uations. Among preservationists, the idea ofsaving landscapes is relatively new and oftenmisunderstood. The literature on the subjectis very limited. Preservationists have not beenexposed to the very term cultural landscape.It is here where this book can be of assis-tance to practitioners, who can benefit fromthe various perspectives as each author identi-fies areas of value using case studies as exam-ples of the larger framework. A theme foundthroughout the book is one of continuous dy-namic change within landscapes, concepts notnew to geographers. Change is discussed notonly from a larger geographic scale but alsoat the individual level. Discussions of settingsbeyond the traditional historic sites introducethe preservationist to consider areas beyond thespecific.

The book’s geographic reach is limited, butvaried. Topically, the book ranges from themacro to the micro scales. To better graspthe discussions of each of the areas and top-ics, the book’s editor argues in the introductionhow the term landscape is defined. Examiningthe challenges that lie ahead on the issues ofpreservation is considered a major concern andaddressing them should be a key considerationin the future. Longstreth provides a number ofexamples that point out the need to revisit howwe view, define, and interpret not only land-scape and preservation but also the role thatpolicy plays in the world that surrounds us.

In the first chapter geographer JulieRiesenweber sets the pace by providing a crit-ical assessment of the issues related to therelationship between cultural geography andlandscape preservation. Besides commenting,and rightfully so, that geographers continue toneglect the latter while maintaining their in-terest in the cultural landscape, she outlines theneed for increased participation by geographerson preservation issues. This critical review ofthe geographic literature on landscape inter-pretation not only provides the reader with anassessment of what we are doing but also grantsus an agenda of what we could contribute to thisfield. After all, geographers can add to what alandscape portrays by providing an explanationof what a landscape can create as humans mod-ify the natural environment.

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Book Reviews 451

The following four chapters are a divergentset of case studies of specific sites. Jenks exam-ines the reality of Little Tokyo in Los Angeles,where the political will of opposing viewpointsaffects not only the look of an ethnic enclavebut also the feeling of it. Through compromise,the survival of the area is assured, particularlywhen outside forces are ready to modify theiconic past.

When it is too late and a neighborhoodis already broken by a public works project,how does one interpret the modified landscape?This is a topic that Caratzas tackled when show-ing how to examine the effect that an inter-state highway had on an otherwise relativelycohesive area. Using New York City’s Cross-Bronx Expressway, he proceeds to explain thatthe highway is in its own right a cultural land-scape that deserves to be examined. Because itis over a half-century old, it also has historicalvalue. Although the highway consistently con-jures negative commentary, it is a structure thathas value beyond the existing bias. The build-ing of a structure such as the expressway is no-ticeably intrusive. Less so, and in fact oppositein effect and yet found throughout the coun-try’s landscape, are the summer youth campsthat were introduced more than 100 years ago.Fint shows very effectively how these campsserved a population while espousing the ideaof experiencing the “natural landscape.” Thecamps, small in scale, and limited in how intru-sive they are on the landscape, can be examinedin terms of their morphology and value, thelatter fostering intimacy with nature, the for-mer coexisting with it. New types of thinkinghad pressured the original camps to adapt to anew economy or perish. It is here that protect-ing the original camps can not only preservea cultural historical site but could be used asa model for future construction. Similar argu-ments were advanced by Stepenoff in her essayabout national parks. These large entities facesimilar conditions as do the smaller summercamps. The effect, however, once modified byhumans, can be significantly more noticeablein the public eye. If customized poorly, the re-sults can be catastrophic to the biological andaesthetic value of these entities.

Part II of the book examines the balancebetween change and continuity. Each authorcautiously suggested that the development ofstrategies to conserve what we have needs to be

negotiated with the reality of the social climate.Population growth and migration pressures actopposite to nature’s status quo. Thus, the im-provement of tactics to realistically manage nat-ural landscapes is necessary before these arelost. Case studies by Hohmann on a historic dis-trict rehabilitation in Oklahoma; Rottle’s lookat the preservation of a historic site in Wash-ington State; and Calafate’s treatise on vernac-ular landscapes are fine examples of developedstrategies that can be considered by practition-ers. Buggey and Mitchell’s call for communityinvolvement furthers the strategic model thatcan be deployed. Drawing from the interdis-ciplinary literature, the authors argue for theunderstanding of the cultural diversity of theUnited States as well as Canada. Sensitivity tolocal values is imperative, the authors insist.Using Australia’s Port Arthur, Mason providesan insight on the approach of management fo-cusing on policy flexibility and inclusivity ofall associated. Furthermore, the author insistson the need to attempt to reduce bureaucraticlayers, an action that will impede further po-tential friction between interested parties. Theconcluding chapter, by Robert Melnick, largelya nostalgic essay, attempts to meld the pre-ceding chapter’s messages by arguing that al-though much has been accomplished in therealm of understanding landscape and preser-vation, much more work needs to be realizedbefore we create a true balance between na-ture’s gifts and human activities.

The book is an important read to those in-terested on the subject, and particularly for ge-ographers, this tome might be a wakeup callfor considering further studies about places un-known to the rest of us.

Most chapters include maps and photographs(all in black and white) providing context andaid to the reader to better understand visu-ally the text. Although no bibliography was in-cluded, at the end of each chapter, notes notonly include helpful citations for further read-ing but also annotations to complement thetext.Key Words: heritage, landscapes, preservation,restoration.

Policies for Sustainable Governanceof Global Ecosystem Services. JanetRanganathan, Mohan Munasinghe, and

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