From characterization to action: The experience of the landscape observatory of Catalonia

Abstract

The landscape catalogs prepared by the Landscape Observatory by order of the Government of Catalonia´s Department of Territory and Sustainability are technical documents that the Landscape Law intends as tools for landscape organization and management from the perspective of territorial planning. The landscape catalogs are increasingly becoming a relevant instrument used by various administrations, whether to integrate landscape into regional and town planning, to design tourism and cultural strategies, or to be integrated into initiatives in landscape education, among other applications. The catalogs´ results are also contributing to the emergence of various initiatives for landscape planning and management led by civil society or coled with local authorities. This text fully explores the landscape catalogs of Catalonia as a tool for understanding, characterizing and planning landscape, and presents some of the uses that the administration and civil society give these documents. It also introduces the Observatory´s new roadmap (Catpaisatge2020), which emphasizes elements such as internationalization, local development and entrepreneurship, the appreciation of new landscapes, and also the importance of values, research and communication.