Mission Statement

An interdisciplinary forum for exploring and exchanging ideas about historic landscapes and their stewardship.

President's Message Hello all! Well, what a busy time it's been since we met at the University of Georgia in Athens for our 29th Annual Meeting: seems just like yesterday.  Eric MacDonald and I, as co-editors of the Proceedings of that Annual Meeting, have been working with the authors to finalize their documents and will be publishing the proceedings both electronically and hard copy with the Clemson University Digital Press.  If all goes well, it will be completed by March; information will be forthcoming on how others can access copies.  The Board met in October in the beautiful surroundings of Kansas City, Missouri.  Check out the photos below!  By all accounts those 'first timers' were totally impressed by its wonderful parkway/boulevard system and the design details - particularly in the Plaza - and who could forget that famous KC barbecue?  Many thanks to John Zvonar, my right hand guy, for chairing the meeting, and especially to Carol Grove who organized the weekend, an excellent prelude to our gathering in St. Louis in 2009! And speaking of future meetings, your Board has decided to convene for a special meeting in Washington D.C., to be hosted by Nancy Brown, this coming March.  This exercise will be something of a continuation of the dialogue that began in Charleston, S.C. in 2003 and will focus on the Alliance’s mission: who we are, where we are going. Planning continues for the Montreal 2008 conference; see VP John Zvonar’s article later on in the newsletter. We have altered our traditional spring meeting slot to the autumn, in order to coincide with the Association for Preservation Technology’s conference slated for that time.  The fall colors of Montreal will be ablaze as the location of one of Olmsted’s most famous works, Mount Royal Park, welcomes us to celebrate our 30th anniversary.  That’s right: 30 years ago the Alliance was founded by a forward-thinking quartet who saw the need for an organization dedicated to the protection of our landscape legacies.  Come and raise a glass to what we’ve accomplished and to what the next 30 years will bring! October 2007 Board Meeting Board meeting, Rockhill Tennis Club Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Sunday morning tour Liberty Memorial Saturday dinner Bloch Building, Nelson-Atkins MoA Due to the efforts of Sherda Williams and Jane Cassady, our new membership database is now up and running.  This accomplishment will be instrumental during our membership campaign.  In the meantime, don’t forget to renew your membership, and if possible, contribute to our scholarship fund.  See Membership section for more information. Cari Goetcheus 864-656-6787 cgoetch@clemson.edu

Page Index

• What is the Alliance for Historic Landscape Preservation?
• What does the Alliance do?
• What are Historic Landscapes?

What is the Alliance for Historic Landscape Preservation?

The Alliance for Historic Landscape Preservation is an interdisciplinary professional organization which provides a forum for communication and exchange of information among its members. It is dedicated to the preservation and conservation of historic landscapes in all their variety, from formal gardens and public parks to rural and natural expanses.

The Alliance was founded in 1978, when a small group of people from diverse backgrounds met at New Harmony, Indiana, to share their mutual interests and concerns about the growing field of landscape preservation. From this initial symposium came recognition of the need for increased commitment to the interdisciplinary nature of the field.

Today the Alliance is an international organization with members from more than 30 U.S. states, several Canadian provinces and Europe. Members include educators, private practitioners and representatives from non-profit organizations and government agencies. Geography, history, horticulture, landscape architecture, planning, public administration and architecture are just some of the professional specialties represented. This multi-faceted character is one of the great strengths of the Alliance.

The Alliance is incorporated in Wisconsin as a non-profit organization.

PROMOTIONAL ONE PAGER (pdf)


What does the Alliance do?

The Alliance is a landscape preservation advocacy group. Alliance members are engaged in a multitude of activities related to the protection and presentation of historic landscapes. Its mission is to educate the public about historic landscapes, their values, threats and ways to preserve their important characteristics. The main thrust of the Alliance is to offer a forum for communication for its diverse membership.

Alliance members are involved in a wide range of projects in restoration, rehabilitation and conservation including:

Members also teach, write, develop policies, and advocate for the preservation of historic landscapes. Many are involved in management, from standards to on-site activities including implementation.


What are historic landscapes?

Landscape implies far more than high-style aesthetics; it is a document of the shared aspirations, ingenuity, memories, and culture of its builders. J.B. Jackson, Cultural Geographer

To define what is meant by historic landscapes is to risk burdening the reader with an overwhelming array of thoughts and perspectives. Needless to say, there are many definitions which have been developed over the years. The more recent acceptance of the term 'cultural landscapes' provides the basis for the following definitions.

Cultural Landscapes represent the combined works of nature and of man and are illustrative of the evolution of human society and settlement over time, under the influence of the physical constraints and/or opportunities presented by their natural environment and of successive social, economic and cultural forces, both external and internal. (UNESCO/ICOMOS Expert Group, World Heritage Convention Operation Guidelines, February 1995)

The following cultural landscape types have been defined by UNESCO. (The US National Park Service, Parks Canada and other groups all have definitions on this topic. Please refer to their websites for further information. See links.)

Clearly defined landscape designed and created intentionally by man
This embraces garden and parkland landscapes constructed for aesthetic reasons which are often (but not always) associated with religious or other monumental buildings and ensembles.

Organically evolved landscape
This results from an initial social, economic, administrative, and/or religious imperative and has developed its present form by association with and in response to its natural environment. Such landscapes reflect that process of evolution in their form and component features. They fall into two sub-categories:

1. The relict (or fossil) landscape: one in which an evolutionary process came to an end at some time in the past, either abruptly or over a period. Its significant distinguishing features are, however, still visible in material form.


2. The continuing landscape: one which retains an active social role in contemporary society closely associated with the traditional way of life, and in which the evolutionary process is still in progress. At the same time it exhibits significant material evidence of its evolution over time.

Associative cultural landscape
The inclusion of such landscapes on the World Heritage List is justifiable by virtue of the powerful religious, artistic or cultural associations of the natural element rather than material cultural evidence, which may be insignificant or even absent.
(UNESCO World Heritage Convention, Operational Guidelines, February 1995)

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