Landscape Architect with PhD thesis titled 'Site Soundscapes : Landscape Architecture in the Light of Sound'. Researcher, Comprehensive Planner, Gardener, and Acoustics Consultant.
The objective of this study is to contribute to the understanding of what
characterizes substant... more The objective of this study is to contribute to the understanding of what characterizes substantive theory in landscape architecture. The discipline is considered to be evolving toward a unique mindset, significant to the sustainable development of human settlements. The aim of this study is to highlight two fundamental, and essentially different, principles of space formation: tropism and tectonics. A philosophical approach is used to dis- cuss different ways of thinking, and approaching, landscape change. The point of departure is to distinguish between the use of terms related to dynamic progression and those related to static conditions. Tropism de- scribes a dynamic principle of the growth of living organisms, while tec- tonics describes the static principle of erecting a framework, one for a build-ing or a bridge. Tropism is vital to the management of living landscapes and their design through maintenance. The conclusion is that both tropism and tectonics require attention in order to further develop the theoretical framework.
Though the number of urban districts with sustainability ambitions is growing worldwide, it is no... more Though the number of urban districts with sustainability ambitions is growing worldwide, it is not clear to what extent such areas achieve environmental and resource efficiency. From a holistic perspective, global rebound and displacement effects are equally likely consequences of urban “sustainable” development. Furthermore, efficiency improvements in construction processes and buildings ́ functions impact socio-economic factors on various societal scales. Apart from a range of urban qualities created locally through the built environment, when improvements reduce overall consumption, this may also reduce or move the fuctions of societies welfare system closer to the environment where people live, as well as other life-sustaining services that are directly and indirectly necessary for the process. Widening the system boundaries of time and space, we therefore identify a need for urban planning that enables the built environment to be assessed not only in terms of its resource use, ...
research was based on the assumption that landscape architects work on pro-jects in which the aco... more research was based on the assumption that landscape architects work on pro-jects in which the acoustic aspects can be taken into consideration. In such projects activities are located within the landscape and specific sounds belong to specific activities. This research raised the orchestration of the soundscape as a new area of concern in the field of landscape architecture; a new method of approaching the problem was suggested. Professionals can learn to recognise the auditory phenom-ena which are characteristic of a certain type of land use. Acoustic sources are obvious planning elements which can be used as a starting point in the develop-ment process. The effects on the soundscape can subsequently be evaluated according to various planning options. The landscape is viewed as a space for sound sources and listeners where the sounds are transferred and coloured, such that each site has a specific soundscape – a sonotope. This raised questions about the landscape’s acoustic charact...
There is a need for new sonic tools in practical spatial planning and landscape design for acoust... more There is a need for new sonic tools in practical spatial planning and landscape design for acoustic considerations, beside issues of noise abatement. The practise of planning and design is visual oriented and lacks concepts, models and reference objects dealing with other sensory impressions than the visual. A CD-ROM prototype containing acoustic recordings from two landscape settings has been developed. The prototype should be further developed into an audio-visual and interactive tool for practitioners in landscape architecture. Preliminary descriptions of the acoustic contents are based on Schafer’s terminology. 1
The overall aim of this Research is to develop tools to facilitate the inclusion of environmental... more The overall aim of this Research is to develop tools to facilitate the inclusion of environmental sounds in landscape planning and design. This paper presents the development of a psychoacoustical evaluation method suitable for field observation. An interview manual concerning sounds and their implications have been developed. Interviews are supplemented with questionnaires treating both the test subjects’ comments, and sound sources contributing to the sonic environment. The comments as well as the sites visited may thus together constitute components in planning and design terminology. The method will be developed further through a study of a select group of individuals, with different listening views. 1 INTRODUCTION Landscape architecture and planning are guided almost exclusively by a visual thinking. The tools of architecture have traditionally been the pen and the drawing, both of which appeal to the sense of sight. The human species, however, should always − as most other ani...
With the global change crisis pushing – and new knowledge about sustainability in socio-ecologica... more With the global change crisis pushing – and new knowledge about sustainability in socio-ecological systems pulling – there presently is a window of opportunity to further our understanding about resilient landscapes. In this paper we focus on Green-blue infrastructure as a key component of human settlements. Our main focus is theoretical and conceptual but we also illustrate its values and functions to deliver recreation, preserve biodiversity, create urban structure, support cultural identity, provide ecosystems services and maintain primary production/ recycling. We further elaborate on the potential for new interactions between green-blue- and built structures, discussing international cases of both practical and theoretical relevance. Resilient Citylands is proposed as a new concept useful for e.g. landscape architecture and planning. It represents a new reciprocal co-evolution for different scales: of urban and rural areas; of human settlements and natural ecosystems1, and of c...
Konst och vetenskap fordras samtidigt for att fanga landskapsarkitekturens vasen, havdade profess... more Konst och vetenskap fordras samtidigt for att fanga landskapsarkitekturens vasen, havdade professor Clas Florgard i sin installationsforelasning ar 1995. I denna festskrift till Clas presenteras amnets vittomspannande bredd i samband med hans nya roll som professor emeritus. I sin forskning har Clas detaljstuderat motet mellan exploatering och bevarande. Naturmark ar begreppet som han allra framst utvecklat med vetenskaplig precision. Den lila festskriften som du nu haller i din hand innehaller bade svenska och internationella bidrag med exempelvis: 1) personliga tillbakablickar pa forskningsprojekt och pa drapliga forsok att aterge resultaten fran dem, 2) sakliga rapporter fran forskningsfronten, 3) flera vidgande perspektiv pa naturmark och landskapsarkitektur samt 4) olika motiv for urban naturmark. Avslutningsvis publiceras ett kapitel som Clas sjalv skrivit i Formas pocketbok Spelet om staden. Festskriften vander sig till en intresserad allmanhet och till praktiker, forskare, b...
Hedfors, Per. 2003. Site Soundscapes – landscape architecture in the light of sound. Doctor’s dis... more Hedfors, Per. 2003. Site Soundscapes – landscape architecture in the light of sound. Doctor’s dissertation. issn 1401-6249, isbn 91-576-6425-0. This research was based on the assumption that landscape architects work on projects in which the acoustic aspects can be taken into consideration. In such projects activities are located within the landscape and specific sounds belong to specific activities. This research raised the orchestration of the soundscape as a new area of concern in the field of landscape architecture; a new method of approaching the problem was suggested. Professionals can learn to recognise the auditory phenomena which are characteristic of a certain type of land use. Acoustic sources are obvious planning elements which can be used as a starting point in the development process. The effects on the soundscape can subsequently be evaluated according to various planning options. The landscape is viewed as a space for sound sources and listeners where the sounds are ...
Densification is today a popular strategy among planners and planning researchers to promote sust... more Densification is today a popular strategy among planners and planning researchers to promote sustainable urban development. Some common arguments are that urban neighbourhoods with higher population densities can reduce car traffic and promote public transport, biking and walking – thereby reducing the environmental impact from transport. Densification is also presumed to provide a better economic basis for municipal services. The effects of densification has–however-seldom been evaluated and needs to be discussed in a nuanced and critical way. This paper discusses densification as a planning strategy mainly from a theoretical and conceptual point of view. Focus is on what kind of densification strategies and meanings that are to be found in different townscape areas in typical Swedish cities. We suggest a conceptual framework, developed from the main concept Functional Density.
The purpose of this research was to study the theoretical approaches and intellectual traditions ... more The purpose of this research was to study the theoretical approaches and intellectual traditions in landscape architecture in a Nordic context. The aim was to identify some of the literary sources that supported academic pioneers. In focus was the exchange of ideas in the Nordic countries thanks to a common understanding of languages. Seven pioneering scholars from the Nordic countries were invited to a symposium called “Urkunder & husgudar” (Records & House gods) held in Uppsala at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in April 2012. The scholars elaborated on the influences on their work during their careers. The reference list of each lecture was loaded into a database and identical referencing was given special attention. The amount of references was 159, and 15 of these were reported by more than one informant. References to Ian L. McHarg and Carl Theodor (C.Th.) Sorensen were the most frequent. A library classification system of the 15 references indicated keywords o...
In this paper we explore General Systems Theory (GST) as a conceptual support in landscape archit... more In this paper we explore General Systems Theory (GST) as a conceptual support in landscape architecture (LA). The point of departure is the complexities and embeddedness of landscapes in multiple scales of society and environment – systems landscapes – a conceptualisation to which we add regenerative, to stress the need for design that restores and enhances environmental and human resources and their capacity to regenerate over time. Through the lens of regenerative systems landscapes, we engaged in an interdisciplinary method we call landscape dialography; the combination of reflective discussion, visual representation, sketching and systems diagramming of systems landscapes throughout and across multiple temporal and spatial scales. This allowed us to highlight significant systemic relations and make them concrete as visionary hypotheses in a physical context. Through this iterative learning process, specific representations were selected out of the sequence to illustrate emergent...
Pa senare ar har intresset for ljudplanering okat och blivit mer helhetsinriktat (jmfr. Brown 201... more Pa senare ar har intresset for ljudplanering okat och blivit mer helhetsinriktat (jmfr. Brown 2012). Dar man tidigare planerat med utgangspunkt i buller och/eller ljudnivaer, betonas nu allt oftare sjalva upplevelsen av ljud. Potentiella kvaliteter hos ljud lyfts fram, samtidigt som hansyn till buller finns kvar som en central del. Man brukar tala om ljudlandskap (Schafer 1994 [1977]; ISO 2014). Ljudlandskapsrorelsen rymmer mycket potential, men eftersom den ar relativt ny finns en hel del fragetecken som behover redas ut och forskning som behover genomforas. Detta utgjorde bakgrunden till den workshop som genomfordes den 2-3 november pa Skogskyrkogarden. Workshopen ingick som en forstudie i det Vinnovafinansierade forskningsprojektet "Stadens hallbara ljudrum", med SLU Alnarp som koordinerande part. I forskningsprojektet undersoks hur fragor kring ljudlandskapet kan integreras i planering och gestaltning. Projektet fokuserar initialt pa begravningsplatser, dar en konflikt...
Contemporary planning for sustainable development has a main focus on sustainable urban areas. Th... more Contemporary planning for sustainable development has a main focus on sustainable urban areas. This paper highlights a systemic approach as well as integrated and contextual knowledge in spatial planning. Significant theorists within urban planning, landscape architecture and other related fields are faced with a search for knowledge that accommodates the development of sustainable societies. Our historical selected data (Sitte, Howard, Geddes, Migge, Mumford, and McHarg) was analysed in relation to the contemporary UN policy document The Habitat Agenda and the French architectural theorist Francoise Choay’s theory on urban design and critical planning. We identify several issues that could be considered as fundamental and discuss their potential role in current spatial planning in a Scandinavian context. The results are discussed in relation to theory and current planning trends. The main contribution of the study is a tentative theoretical framework that supports urban-rural inter...
There is a need for new sonic tools in practical spatial planning and landscape design for acoust... more There is a need for new sonic tools in practical spatial planning and landscape design for acoustic considerations, beside issues of noise abatement. The practise of planning and design is visual oriented and lacks concepts, models and reference objects dealing with other sensory impressions than the visual. A CD- ROM prototype containing acoustic recordings from two landscape settings has been developed. The prototype should be further developed into an audio- visual and interactive tool for practitioners in landscape architecture. Preliminary descriptions of the acoustic contents are based on Schafer's terminology.
The objective of this study is to contribute to the understanding of what
characterizes substant... more The objective of this study is to contribute to the understanding of what characterizes substantive theory in landscape architecture. The discipline is considered to be evolving toward a unique mindset, significant to the sustainable development of human settlements. The aim of this study is to highlight two fundamental, and essentially different, principles of space formation: tropism and tectonics. A philosophical approach is used to dis- cuss different ways of thinking, and approaching, landscape change. The point of departure is to distinguish between the use of terms related to dynamic progression and those related to static conditions. Tropism de- scribes a dynamic principle of the growth of living organisms, while tec- tonics describes the static principle of erecting a framework, one for a build-ing or a bridge. Tropism is vital to the management of living landscapes and their design through maintenance. The conclusion is that both tropism and tectonics require attention in order to further develop the theoretical framework.
Though the number of urban districts with sustainability ambitions is growing worldwide, it is no... more Though the number of urban districts with sustainability ambitions is growing worldwide, it is not clear to what extent such areas achieve environmental and resource efficiency. From a holistic perspective, global rebound and displacement effects are equally likely consequences of urban “sustainable” development. Furthermore, efficiency improvements in construction processes and buildings ́ functions impact socio-economic factors on various societal scales. Apart from a range of urban qualities created locally through the built environment, when improvements reduce overall consumption, this may also reduce or move the fuctions of societies welfare system closer to the environment where people live, as well as other life-sustaining services that are directly and indirectly necessary for the process. Widening the system boundaries of time and space, we therefore identify a need for urban planning that enables the built environment to be assessed not only in terms of its resource use, ...
research was based on the assumption that landscape architects work on pro-jects in which the aco... more research was based on the assumption that landscape architects work on pro-jects in which the acoustic aspects can be taken into consideration. In such projects activities are located within the landscape and specific sounds belong to specific activities. This research raised the orchestration of the soundscape as a new area of concern in the field of landscape architecture; a new method of approaching the problem was suggested. Professionals can learn to recognise the auditory phenom-ena which are characteristic of a certain type of land use. Acoustic sources are obvious planning elements which can be used as a starting point in the develop-ment process. The effects on the soundscape can subsequently be evaluated according to various planning options. The landscape is viewed as a space for sound sources and listeners where the sounds are transferred and coloured, such that each site has a specific soundscape – a sonotope. This raised questions about the landscape’s acoustic charact...
There is a need for new sonic tools in practical spatial planning and landscape design for acoust... more There is a need for new sonic tools in practical spatial planning and landscape design for acoustic considerations, beside issues of noise abatement. The practise of planning and design is visual oriented and lacks concepts, models and reference objects dealing with other sensory impressions than the visual. A CD-ROM prototype containing acoustic recordings from two landscape settings has been developed. The prototype should be further developed into an audio-visual and interactive tool for practitioners in landscape architecture. Preliminary descriptions of the acoustic contents are based on Schafer’s terminology. 1
The overall aim of this Research is to develop tools to facilitate the inclusion of environmental... more The overall aim of this Research is to develop tools to facilitate the inclusion of environmental sounds in landscape planning and design. This paper presents the development of a psychoacoustical evaluation method suitable for field observation. An interview manual concerning sounds and their implications have been developed. Interviews are supplemented with questionnaires treating both the test subjects’ comments, and sound sources contributing to the sonic environment. The comments as well as the sites visited may thus together constitute components in planning and design terminology. The method will be developed further through a study of a select group of individuals, with different listening views. 1 INTRODUCTION Landscape architecture and planning are guided almost exclusively by a visual thinking. The tools of architecture have traditionally been the pen and the drawing, both of which appeal to the sense of sight. The human species, however, should always − as most other ani...
With the global change crisis pushing – and new knowledge about sustainability in socio-ecologica... more With the global change crisis pushing – and new knowledge about sustainability in socio-ecological systems pulling – there presently is a window of opportunity to further our understanding about resilient landscapes. In this paper we focus on Green-blue infrastructure as a key component of human settlements. Our main focus is theoretical and conceptual but we also illustrate its values and functions to deliver recreation, preserve biodiversity, create urban structure, support cultural identity, provide ecosystems services and maintain primary production/ recycling. We further elaborate on the potential for new interactions between green-blue- and built structures, discussing international cases of both practical and theoretical relevance. Resilient Citylands is proposed as a new concept useful for e.g. landscape architecture and planning. It represents a new reciprocal co-evolution for different scales: of urban and rural areas; of human settlements and natural ecosystems1, and of c...
Konst och vetenskap fordras samtidigt for att fanga landskapsarkitekturens vasen, havdade profess... more Konst och vetenskap fordras samtidigt for att fanga landskapsarkitekturens vasen, havdade professor Clas Florgard i sin installationsforelasning ar 1995. I denna festskrift till Clas presenteras amnets vittomspannande bredd i samband med hans nya roll som professor emeritus. I sin forskning har Clas detaljstuderat motet mellan exploatering och bevarande. Naturmark ar begreppet som han allra framst utvecklat med vetenskaplig precision. Den lila festskriften som du nu haller i din hand innehaller bade svenska och internationella bidrag med exempelvis: 1) personliga tillbakablickar pa forskningsprojekt och pa drapliga forsok att aterge resultaten fran dem, 2) sakliga rapporter fran forskningsfronten, 3) flera vidgande perspektiv pa naturmark och landskapsarkitektur samt 4) olika motiv for urban naturmark. Avslutningsvis publiceras ett kapitel som Clas sjalv skrivit i Formas pocketbok Spelet om staden. Festskriften vander sig till en intresserad allmanhet och till praktiker, forskare, b...
Hedfors, Per. 2003. Site Soundscapes – landscape architecture in the light of sound. Doctor’s dis... more Hedfors, Per. 2003. Site Soundscapes – landscape architecture in the light of sound. Doctor’s dissertation. issn 1401-6249, isbn 91-576-6425-0. This research was based on the assumption that landscape architects work on projects in which the acoustic aspects can be taken into consideration. In such projects activities are located within the landscape and specific sounds belong to specific activities. This research raised the orchestration of the soundscape as a new area of concern in the field of landscape architecture; a new method of approaching the problem was suggested. Professionals can learn to recognise the auditory phenomena which are characteristic of a certain type of land use. Acoustic sources are obvious planning elements which can be used as a starting point in the development process. The effects on the soundscape can subsequently be evaluated according to various planning options. The landscape is viewed as a space for sound sources and listeners where the sounds are ...
Densification is today a popular strategy among planners and planning researchers to promote sust... more Densification is today a popular strategy among planners and planning researchers to promote sustainable urban development. Some common arguments are that urban neighbourhoods with higher population densities can reduce car traffic and promote public transport, biking and walking – thereby reducing the environmental impact from transport. Densification is also presumed to provide a better economic basis for municipal services. The effects of densification has–however-seldom been evaluated and needs to be discussed in a nuanced and critical way. This paper discusses densification as a planning strategy mainly from a theoretical and conceptual point of view. Focus is on what kind of densification strategies and meanings that are to be found in different townscape areas in typical Swedish cities. We suggest a conceptual framework, developed from the main concept Functional Density.
The purpose of this research was to study the theoretical approaches and intellectual traditions ... more The purpose of this research was to study the theoretical approaches and intellectual traditions in landscape architecture in a Nordic context. The aim was to identify some of the literary sources that supported academic pioneers. In focus was the exchange of ideas in the Nordic countries thanks to a common understanding of languages. Seven pioneering scholars from the Nordic countries were invited to a symposium called “Urkunder & husgudar” (Records & House gods) held in Uppsala at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in April 2012. The scholars elaborated on the influences on their work during their careers. The reference list of each lecture was loaded into a database and identical referencing was given special attention. The amount of references was 159, and 15 of these were reported by more than one informant. References to Ian L. McHarg and Carl Theodor (C.Th.) Sorensen were the most frequent. A library classification system of the 15 references indicated keywords o...
In this paper we explore General Systems Theory (GST) as a conceptual support in landscape archit... more In this paper we explore General Systems Theory (GST) as a conceptual support in landscape architecture (LA). The point of departure is the complexities and embeddedness of landscapes in multiple scales of society and environment – systems landscapes – a conceptualisation to which we add regenerative, to stress the need for design that restores and enhances environmental and human resources and their capacity to regenerate over time. Through the lens of regenerative systems landscapes, we engaged in an interdisciplinary method we call landscape dialography; the combination of reflective discussion, visual representation, sketching and systems diagramming of systems landscapes throughout and across multiple temporal and spatial scales. This allowed us to highlight significant systemic relations and make them concrete as visionary hypotheses in a physical context. Through this iterative learning process, specific representations were selected out of the sequence to illustrate emergent...
Pa senare ar har intresset for ljudplanering okat och blivit mer helhetsinriktat (jmfr. Brown 201... more Pa senare ar har intresset for ljudplanering okat och blivit mer helhetsinriktat (jmfr. Brown 2012). Dar man tidigare planerat med utgangspunkt i buller och/eller ljudnivaer, betonas nu allt oftare sjalva upplevelsen av ljud. Potentiella kvaliteter hos ljud lyfts fram, samtidigt som hansyn till buller finns kvar som en central del. Man brukar tala om ljudlandskap (Schafer 1994 [1977]; ISO 2014). Ljudlandskapsrorelsen rymmer mycket potential, men eftersom den ar relativt ny finns en hel del fragetecken som behover redas ut och forskning som behover genomforas. Detta utgjorde bakgrunden till den workshop som genomfordes den 2-3 november pa Skogskyrkogarden. Workshopen ingick som en forstudie i det Vinnovafinansierade forskningsprojektet "Stadens hallbara ljudrum", med SLU Alnarp som koordinerande part. I forskningsprojektet undersoks hur fragor kring ljudlandskapet kan integreras i planering och gestaltning. Projektet fokuserar initialt pa begravningsplatser, dar en konflikt...
Contemporary planning for sustainable development has a main focus on sustainable urban areas. Th... more Contemporary planning for sustainable development has a main focus on sustainable urban areas. This paper highlights a systemic approach as well as integrated and contextual knowledge in spatial planning. Significant theorists within urban planning, landscape architecture and other related fields are faced with a search for knowledge that accommodates the development of sustainable societies. Our historical selected data (Sitte, Howard, Geddes, Migge, Mumford, and McHarg) was analysed in relation to the contemporary UN policy document The Habitat Agenda and the French architectural theorist Francoise Choay’s theory on urban design and critical planning. We identify several issues that could be considered as fundamental and discuss their potential role in current spatial planning in a Scandinavian context. The results are discussed in relation to theory and current planning trends. The main contribution of the study is a tentative theoretical framework that supports urban-rural inter...
There is a need for new sonic tools in practical spatial planning and landscape design for acoust... more There is a need for new sonic tools in practical spatial planning and landscape design for acoustic considerations, beside issues of noise abatement. The practise of planning and design is visual oriented and lacks concepts, models and reference objects dealing with other sensory impressions than the visual. A CD- ROM prototype containing acoustic recordings from two landscape settings has been developed. The prototype should be further developed into an audio- visual and interactive tool for practitioners in landscape architecture. Preliminary descriptions of the acoustic contents are based on Schafer's terminology.
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Papers by Per Hedfors
characterizes substantive theory in landscape architecture. The discipline
is considered to be evolving toward a unique mindset, significant to the
sustainable development of human settlements. The aim of this study is
to highlight two fundamental, and essentially different, principles of space
formation: tropism and tectonics. A philosophical approach is used to dis-
cuss different ways of thinking, and approaching, landscape change. The
point of departure is to distinguish between the use of terms related to
dynamic progression and those related to static conditions. Tropism de-
scribes a dynamic principle of the growth of living organisms, while tec-
tonics describes the static principle of erecting a framework, one for a build-ing or a bridge. Tropism is vital to the management of living landscapes
and their design through maintenance. The conclusion is that both tropism and tectonics require attention in order to further develop the theoretical framework.
characterizes substantive theory in landscape architecture. The discipline
is considered to be evolving toward a unique mindset, significant to the
sustainable development of human settlements. The aim of this study is
to highlight two fundamental, and essentially different, principles of space
formation: tropism and tectonics. A philosophical approach is used to dis-
cuss different ways of thinking, and approaching, landscape change. The
point of departure is to distinguish between the use of terms related to
dynamic progression and those related to static conditions. Tropism de-
scribes a dynamic principle of the growth of living organisms, while tec-
tonics describes the static principle of erecting a framework, one for a build-ing or a bridge. Tropism is vital to the management of living landscapes
and their design through maintenance. The conclusion is that both tropism and tectonics require attention in order to further develop the theoretical framework.