The Rich Heritage of Landscaping in India: from 'vanas' to Green Cities

Abstract

The article provides an analytical review of foreign and domestic experience in research and design solutions in the field of landscaping and improvement of recreational waterside and island territories. The main research directions and authors associated with them are listed. The main problems that violate the integrity of recreational space in waterside territories have been identified. The optimal conditions for recreation at such bodies have been identified. The main patterns of creation, landscaping and improvement of waterside and island territories are determined with fundamental conclusions, both in the world and in Russian practice. 1. Introduction For a long period of history, waterside territories have been one of the most difficult issues. Such a space performed many functions and presented a number of organizational requirements that differed from other elements of urban planning. The problem of degradation of waterside areas is not new, but an integrated approach to their rehabilitation has been carried out only in recent decades. The expansion of human influence forces us to perceive issues concerning interference with nature globally. Human activities have reached such proportions that the environmental problem of one region immediately affects the entire ecosystem of the world negatively. This topic has become relevant for the Saratov Volga region, where a significant part of the space is occupied by waterfronts, and there is also an attraction to numerous islands located both on a large waterway-the Volga, and on small rivers of the Saratov region. The scientific novelty of the article is in the review of both historical materials and over the past 10 years in landscaping with an emphasis on the improvement of waterside and island territories. The purpose of the study is to review the achievements in landscape gardening for raising the recreational potential of spaces near and on water in the Volga region with an orientation to the previous and current foreign and domestic experience. The objectives of the study are to determine the possibility of applying certain concepts from the world landscape and architectural practices for the Saratov region, as well as to study the advanced projects and their implementation in the field of a comfortable environment.