Designing for conviviality in landscape architecture

Abstract

The notion of the Anthropocene is a powerful call to replace the Western, dualistic concept of nature versus culture with one that is inclusive and focuses on the interdependence of humans and non-humans. The article begins by discussing the wider debate about this conceptual shift and argues that ‘conviviality’ is an appropriate and inspiring term for the discipline of landscape architecture to address the interdependencies between humans and non-humans. In order to develop design implications for landscape architecture, three case studies are selected and interpreted from a convivial perspective. As a result, three design characteristics are summarized as guidelines for convivial landscape architecture. Finally, the potential and open questions related to conviviality in landscape architecture are addressed.