Land use planning and environmental design develop concepts to improve quality of live along the urban, suburban, and rural gradient. New Jersey is a particularly suitable example to discuss future challenges of the field with a particular focus on the role of cultural landscape in the suburban context. For New Jersey’s diversifying, complex society – in which human wellbeing is also threatened by the increasing impacts of climate change – planning and design must contribute to a positive sense of place that is in accord with cultural values of the residents.
This independent research project engages in a cross-cultural discussion of suburban cultural landscapes. The research explores possible relevant concepts of the term culture, how cultural identity is current evolving and how this has an impact on diverse understanding of sense of place.
Examples from the metropolitan regions Vienna/Austria, Budapest /Hungary, and the Ruhr Region in Germany along with experiences from New Jersey illustrate the discussion of underlying cultural narratives that shape planning and design approaches to cultural landscapes within the suburban context.
