symbolic landscape
Introduction
Landscaping is the activity aimed at modifying the visible, physical and emotional characteristics of a space, both rural and urban. These include: living elements, such as flora and fauna, commonly called gardening, the art of growing plants for the purpose of creating a beautiful landscape environment; natural elements such as landforms, elevations or water courses; human elements, such as structures, buildings or other material objects created by man; abstract elements, such as weather and lighting conditions; and cultural elements.[1][2].
The term landscape derives etymologically from the French pays (country), which refers to a region, and from the suffix "aje" which gives action to the term. Landscaping refers to the action of making a Country, to the sense of belonging, to the identity of the inhabitants conferred by the environment from which they come. Such is the relevance of this concept that historically and even today, being exiled, deported and even an immigrant is a condition of uprooting that produces affliction. Unlike the art movement with the same name, modern landscaping not only resorts to the visual but also to its multidimensionality: height, width, depth and time.[3].
Landscaping is both art and science and requires good observation and design skills, as well as planning, creativity, organization and imagination. It can also be defined as a rational process by which man uses nature as a tool to express himself, while obtaining various benefits. It is a concept that encompasses in small proportions parts of multiple disciplines such as agronomy, architecture, sociology, ecology, art, etc., to treat spaces taking into account both its volume and the time factor; since you work with living beings and they have processes.
The landscape is so ingrained in us that it is part of our history and our culture. The need for people to turn to it is increasing, whether to control pollution, as a de-stressing effect in contrast to the gray and fast-paced cities, as recreation, or to try to preserve the existing beauty and diversity. It is no longer just about contemplating, but also about experiencing and living in a healthy and balanced way.[4].
The landscape can also be defined as a set of sociocultural determinations, the product of a series of perceptive procedures that human beings carry out in a certain territory, in line with their needs and spatial expectations experienced therein. These will represent their individuality as a human group and will transform the territory, charging it with meaning, which will classify the landscape not only with a strictly material relationship but also confers spiritual characteristics on it.[5].