From place theory to landscape theory: Non-place, distality and character

Abstract

An attempt is made at locating place and its counter-figure, non-place, within the framework of landscape theory. To do so, we compare the attributes that have been applied to the notion of place with two dimensions (attachment and interaction), used in our landscape classification matrix. This matrix, freely inspired by the grid-group cultural theory, separates four landscape types. Our main object is to clarify the status of place and non-place within the landscape matrix. The ensuing discussion shows that both the classification and the landscape concept itself are exposed to hyper-modernization, a powerful destabilizing vector that melts the boundaries between types, creates disjunction between landscape features, and problematizes the concept of landscape character.