13 July 1995 Landscape Journal Launched

Lincoln University has launched a new academic journal, focused on landscape studies and landscape architecture topics in the Asia-Pacific region.

Landscape Review, initiated by the University's Department of Landscape Architecture, edited by department head Dr Simon Swaffield and published by Lincoln University Press, will be produced twice a year.

A forum for scholarly communication, debate and reflection on landscape matters relevant to an Asian-Pacific readership, Landscape Review is seen as complementary to the other regional landscape architecture magazine Landscape Australia, which has a professional and industry focus. The publication is also regarded as a Pacific counterpoint to the established North American and European landscape journals.

In the first issue, available now, contributors offer views on the current state of landscape architecture education and research in the region, particularly in Indonesia, Canada, Australia and Korea.

Dr Swaffield says that thematically the new journal intends to pursue the interplay of global and regional influences. In the inaugural edition this shows through in contributions which reflect the tensions within landscape architecture between the need to maintain academic standards in the university setting and the need to remain relevant as a professional vocation.

"The Asia-Pacific region provides a unique perspective for the discipline of landscape architecture," says Dr Swaffield.

"The meeting of western and indigenous cultures characterises the region. It is reflected in the physical and cultural environment, and is shaped by the design theories, concepts and practices of its inhabitants."

Initiation of Landscape Review is a recognition of the need for dialogue in this particular context, he says.

"In some ways it is not surprising that this initiative has come from New Zealand, a meeting place for many different influences. Among them are the Polynesian origins of its indigenous people, a largely British colonial heritage, and an orientation to the Southern Hemisphere because of the country's South Pacific location. Especially noticeable in the past decade has been a major expansion of links with the countries and cultures of south and east Asia."

Dr Swaffield sees the resulting mix of influences within New Zealand as "rich and challenging" for the discipline of landscape architecture.

"The design challenges we face, of reconciling globalisation of technologies and markets, an evolving regional political economy, and aspirations for local cultures and identity, are in many ways a microcosm of those faced throughout Asia and the Pacific," he says.

The second edition of Landscape Review will be available in October. The annual subscription is NZ$95 (two issues inclusive of postage and packaging).

About the editor:

Dr Simon Swaffield, Head of the Department of Landscape Architecture at Lincoln University, has recently been appointed Academic Programme Director for the University's resource studies degree. As well as qualifications in landscape design and town planning, he has a PhD in resource studies. In 1993 he edited the very successful Garden Design: a New Zealand guide, published by Canterbury University Press. Dr Swaffield's research interests focus on the social dimension of design and resource management.

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.