Landscape design and the language of nature

Abstract

Recognition that we need to live in a more ecologically sustainable way and that
the physical forms of designed landscapes are an expression of the social values
and cultural drivers of the time has underpinned the call by some landscape design
professionals for a new design aesthetic – one that reflects modern ecological
concerns. However, for an 'ecological aesthetic' to be accepted, it must be capable
of generating landscape forms that are pleasurable to the general public, as it is the
general public who will be responsible for delivering ecological sustainability in the
long term.
The growth in understanding of the mathematical properties of natural
systems and processes has led some authors to suggest that fractal geometry, called
the language of nature, could play a role in developing such an aesthetic. This is
supported by recent research that suggests human perceptual systems have evolved
to process fractal patterning and that we have a visual preference for images with
certain fractal qualities. However, how fractal geometry can be used, and what form
an aesthetic based on this geometry might take, remains elusive and undefined.
To develop an aesthetic based on fractal geometry it is necessary to understand
why fractal geometry should be considered as a potential tool and whether the
application of fractal analysis can differentiate between the types of landscape forms
encountered every day.