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A New Nature?

Conference Paper · February 2019

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 A New Nature?
Priyanka Menon
Student, Masters in Landscape Architecture, FA, CEPT University, [email protected]

Abstract— John Dixon Hunt, a Landscape Historian, theorizes respond to these changes. Even the smallest of ants could
nature into three distinct categories: The first, wilderness understand the seasonal changes, developing habits to store
(untouched by man). The second, agricultural and urban food for the winter or lower storey plants in dense deciduous
development of towns and cities. The third, aesthetically appealing forests developed large leaves to capture as much sunlight as
gardens and parks. The relationship between the natures alter possible. Similar to these, our ancestors, the hunter gatherers
through the ages. Before mankind our planet was covered with developed an expert understanding of place. They made
wilderness of the first nature, as man evolved and began to decisions such as where to settle, where to hunt and where to
cultivate crops and build permanent settlements, the second hide. They mastered the processes of nature such as seasonal
nature began to surface. When settlements turned into changes and its impact on the surrounding landforms and water
civilizations and people changed their landscapes to suit what they bodies and their extended impact on the lifecycles of the
found aesthetically appealing, is when the third nature was born. surrounding flora and fauna. This was the initial seed of
As civilizations grew into empires and empires into countries, the learning the field of landscape architecture. Settlements
collaboration between the three natures transformed with time. developed as a result of these learnings. Identifying which
Today the three natures may exist at a distorted scale altogether, plants to gather and which not, which soil types to cultivate
with the third nature seen as small gardens within the city’s crops on and when does it lose value, water cycles to build
framework, the second nature seen as vast agricultural land on the houses in a way to avoid floods but allow irrigation in the fields.
outskirts, and the first nature almost extinct. However, the 21st These basics were the core sciences behind the development of
century man is noticing that the increased disproportion and early settlements of mankind. These patterns in nature gave rise
distance between the three natures is proving unsuitable for an to rituals. Man selected certain types of landscapes for worship
assured future. Hence, with the advancement of research and new and certain kinds of landscape for social cohesion and another
technologies, the landscaped spaces we are beginning to create for burying or cremating the dead. Every settlement created
focus on reconstructing and reforming the planet so that it isn’t
their own rules and habits around nature which gave rise to
overtaken by climate change, extinction and degradation.
Theorists today believe that our focus has shifted from the ‘three culture. The congregation of the three ie. Nature, Science and
natures’ seen in beautiful decorative villa gardens of rich Culture became the foundation of the field of Landscape
merchants and sacred groves for the Gods to a new nature- The Architecture.
Fourth Nature identifying as a futuristic synchronization of the
three natures. II. THEORY OF THREE NATURES
Landscape architecture has been theorized by several experts
The Fourth Nature is seen as regenerative natural systems where
Landscape architects, ecologists, engineers, horticulturists,
based on the type and degree of human intervention carried out
biologists etc. collaborate to understand the ecological network of on it. Such as John Dixon Hunt’s Theory of Three Natures from
regions and find solutions to bring about the best possible changes his book ‘In Garden Perfections: The Practice of Garden
to create a balanced ecosystem where a rich web of species Theory’ (2000) divides nature very distinctly into three main
including humans thrive. Yet, if one may look back at landscapes categories:
of the past all over the world, they were designed to complement A. First Nature: wilderness, untouched by man, pure, it is
the creations of God. The sacred groves in the Acropolises or the also the raw material for the second nature
engineered forested terraces seen in the paintings of the Hanging B. Second Nature: Agriculture, Urban development,
Gardens of Babylon or even the sacred forests for the Gurukuls
roadways. A requirement for man to create settlements,
mentioned in ancient Indian scriptures were depicted as natural
systems designed by man for ecosystems to thrive in, and man was
towns and cities. The second nature was created within
part of the system, not above it. So what really is the Identity of the first nature and over time began to eat away into the
future landscapes? Is it a rescaled technologically advanced first nature.
reflection of past methods? Or is it a new system altogether, a C. Third Nature: Aesthetic landscapes, gardens. Gardens
fourth nature where the process and intent of design is devoid of fell within the second nature as the cities and towns
the traditions and wisdom of the past? provided spaces for the existence of the third nature.
Keywords—Nature, Culture, Science, Theory of three An illustration made by Abbe Pierre Le Lorraine de Vallemont
natures, Framework, 4th Nature, Identity. (Fig.1) long before the theory was introduced, was Hunt’s
reference for his studies. The drawing was deciphered by
I. INTRODUCTION dividing the illustration into 3 parts- In the background the
Our planet is a plethora of geological and hydrological features forested mountains which are natural and untouched (first
made up of materials and processes that synchronize together nature) rolls into an agricultural field - a necessity for man’s
to form perfect habitats for a variety of flora and fauna. The livelihood and survival (second nature). And in the foreground
geography blends from one feature into another and is a formal garden made by man’s perception of art, geometry
continuously changes over time by internal and external forces. and aesthetics (third nature). These three natures were evident
Flora and fauna are designed to adapt and evolve with these throughout the history of landscape architecture all over the
changes. To understand these changes flora and fauna world. The earliest renditions of the third nature is seen
developed instincts that would help them create patterns to documented in the first written manuscripts of Uruk, carved on
 III. INTERACTION BETWEEN MAN AND NATURE

Landscape Architecture has evolved with time based on three

major factors:
A. Nature: Landscape Architecture is designed based on the
environment around it, the climate, the types of vegetation
that grows in that climate, the seasonal changes impacting
the cycles of these plants and accordingly the types of
faunal species attracted to it. Over time, due to the impact
of human interference in the natural order, a drastic change
is clearly visible in the adaptive nature of plants and
animals. An increase in invasive weeds and species has
taken place, shifting of ecosystem belts due to increase in
global warming has been observed and even for
commercial purposes, even the invention of hybrid plants
has been introduced.
B. Culture: Landscape architecture is always designed based
on the latest trends of man at a given time. The culture of
the time defined the purpose of the landscape, whether it
was designed for the Gods or Kings in the past, or for the
people and the environment today. Landscape layouts and
its design features are defined by trending art, religious
beliefs, philosophies or fashions of the time it is created in.
C. Science: New engineering techniques and methods
impacted man’s control over all natural systems in many
ways: Some for natural resources such as mining, some to
create routes such as tunnels, bridges and reclamation,
some to rejuvenate barren and destroyed land such as Bio-
mining and large-scale earthworks, and some for farming
methodologies to quicken and improve the harvesting and
Fig 1- Frontispiece to l'Abbé de Vallemont's Curiositez de la nature et de quality of the food produced. The more advanced the field
l'art (1705) of science gets, the more are the possibilities of man to alter
and innovate landscape methods.

the temple walls or in the hieroglyphical representation of a These 3 factors majorly impacted the methods and approach
royal garden within the palace complexes of Egypt or in the towards Landscape Architecture, allowing it to advance along
description of Ashok-Vatika in the Ramayan or the poems with man’s evolution. Today, Landscapes have moved towards
about the Island gardens of the Han dynasty. When we look at a new culture, focusing on aspects like transformation such as
these historical landscapes all the way from its depiction carved the post industrial parks of rundown industrial and transport
in stone to the beautifully preserved gardens of palaces, it is corridors in Europe and America, or conservation such as the
very evident that these landscapes at all scales were made for a restoration of Mughal and Rajput Gardens or revival such as
singular purpose, whether it was for scholars to discuss science the ecologically sensitive parks designed on former wastelands
in such as the philosophical gardens of the Acropolis or for the or quarries in Pune and Timba or technology like the super trees
kings and queens to impress and intimidate their foreign of Singapore. Landscape Architecture has developed into
delegates with the vastness of their chateau gardens or the tomb platforms for experts from a variety of fields such as ecology,
gardens of the Mughals designed to symbolize verses of the anthropology, horticulture, engineering and many more to
Quran describing ‘Jannat’ (heaven). create spaces which are purposeful to man and the surrounding
environment. So how do we categorize these complex spaces
Over time the purpose of designed landscapes began to change. within Dixon’s simple framework of three natures. His rigid
The royal gardens and the temple gardens began opening categorizations make it impossible to decide the core purpose
themselves for the use of the public, at first on special occasions of the Landscaped spaces we see today.
and over time for general use. Initially the only public spaces
for the common-folk were market places, Piazzas, Forums, Robert Thayer, a professor of UC Davis wrote a paper in 1994
Bazaars or Maidans which were open multipurpose grounds about categorizing technology and landscape within three
used by the public for various events such as shopping, dimensions of human interaction with it. He designed a triangle
festivities or meetings. In 1847, England made its first Public (Fig.2) where each side is a dimension: Topophilia (love for
Park-Birkenhead Park creating a landmark inspiring several nature, purely natural, designed for the land and water,
other cities around the world to design public parks for the vegetation and fauna eg. a wilderness trail), Technophelia
citizens and common people to use. These public gardens and (Designed for the purpose or with the help of technology eg. a
parks began to hold multiple features and amenities to address wind-farm) and Technophobia (considered the negative of both
the needs of the public. The concept of singular purpose the other categories where neither the use of technology or the
landscapes began to weaken. use of flora or fauna were used to create the space eg. a toxic
 space has to any of the three natures (Fig.3). For example, an
Urban park today which would ideally hold value as a second
nature may also have the poetic and aesthetic values of the third
nature and may also contain a wilderness trail that may embody
the values of the first nature. Different designs and spaces
maybe located on different parts of the triangle based on the
percentage of its affiliation to each nature, and with time the
priority of one nature over the other may increase or decrease,
but Landscapes will always be a blend of all three.

Fig 2 - Three attitudes towards landscape

wasteland). A landscape design could be located anywhere

within the triangle based on its percentage of likeness to any of
the three dimensions. This theory may not be 100%
mathematically accurate, but it does allow us to understand that
landscape architecture is too complex a field to be classified
under one single identity of first, second or third natures. Does
that give it a new meaning to its existence all together? Fig 3 - Three Dimensions of the Three Natures

IV. A NEW NATURE?

V. CONCLUSION
Many theorists and landscape architects have considered giving
today’s landscape the identity of a 4th Nature, considering it to Landscape Architecture, in the past, present and future will be
be much more than the romantic poetic landscape of the past, man’s response to an understanding of his surrounding
instead an answer to all the environmental issues that have been environment, the cultural trend and newer technology at a
created: a solution to industrialization, overpopulation, certain period of time. Man has designed landscapes
deforestation, habitat loss and extinction. Today, Landscape prioritizing certain aspects over the other using Landscape
Architecture has to bear the torch for moving towards a cleaner, architecture as a solution to warp the planet into his ideas of
greener and diverse future and not be designed as a symbol of what is best for him. Today his priority is the deteriorating
God, Art or Power. It no longer is designed solely for man but environment, tomorrow it may be something else. Hence over
for every living creature present in that space and the the past century, theorists have made numerous frameworks
hydrological, geological or any other natural system linked to similar to that of Dixon’s and Thayer’s to manage and strategies
the space. But does this mean that it is completely unhinged landscape like any other design field. These theories are viewed
from the landscapes of the past? Or is it merely the evolution as comprehension of past designs. However we as landscape
of man’s research and knowledge which has made him architects should take them forward as tools to give a
committed understanding of the processes of nature, society
understand the crisis our planet is in today?
and technology used in the past and today. Only then will we
The status we give Landscape Architecture today- the epitome be able to see where our designs stand within these frameworks
of Green and Sustainable is man’s solution to his and use it as motivation to reach beyond what has been done
comprehension of our planet’s crisis. Earlier our ancestors before and expand our boundaries towards creating spaces for
understood geographical systems to create settlements, or God the future.
to create sacred groves, or politics and social status to create
chateau landscapes or art to create Renaissance villa gardens, References:
similarly, a slightly more educated and culturally evolved man [1]In Garden Perfections: The Practice of Garden Theory’
today has understood that he will not be able to survive with a by John Dixon Hunt
deteriorating environment and his knowledge of newer
technology and sciences, allows him to create a cultural trend [2]Theory in Landscape Architecture, A Reader by Simon
in Landscape architecture that Rejuvenates, Restores and Sawfield.
Remediates the spaces.
[3]A Discourse on Theory I: “Sounding the Deapths”-
Origins, Theory and Representation by James Corner
[4]The Landscape of Man by Geoffrey and Susan Jellicoe
Current day landscapes, in pursuit of solving the environmental
crisis as well as providing comfort, recreation and [5]Must Landscapes Mean by Marc Treib
entertainment to man has produced multifunctional spaces that
may not be identifiable under any one category of the three [6]Three Dimensions of Meaning by Robert Thayer.
natures. But similar to Thayer’s three dimensions of
[7]Landscape Architecture, The History of Art lecture
technological landscapes, they can be located within a three
series on Youtube
dimensional framework of the first, second and third nature,
and its identity will be perceived by the amount of likeness the

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