The Lifescape logic - How we do it

In order to bridge the gap between ecology and economy, Lifescape combines ‘livelihood’ and ‘landscape’, the individual benefit and the common good, in one concept. Our life and our landscape are two sides of the same coin.

Human activity through the ages, driven by economic, social and environmental forces and constraints has shaped our regional landscapes. In doing so, we have also transformed ourselves. The unique expression of nature and cultural heritage within each of those landscapes provides a backdrop against which people structure their own identity – mostly unwittingly. We develop together with our environment. Cultural landscapes give us a sense of place and reveal our relationship with the land over time. They are special to us and contain aspects of our origin through their forms, features, and history of use.

This sense of place is thus an important constituent of our sense of identity. And because of that, the loss of our landscape may touch us at a deep and disturbing emotional level, preparing us for action. Moreover, as we form our communities and civil societies, it is our landscape that we have in common and share. It is readily available as a medium for communication.

Consequently, the core idea or logic of Lifescape is that we may be able to use our sense of regional identity and mobilize its emotional power by referring to the visible qualities of our common landscape. Our regional landscape is ready to be used to help us re-create a bond between people and the environment: the people from rural areas and city dwellers, the people who produce services and products and the people who need these services and products to enrich their urban lives. In doing so we develop our social capital, especially by building bridges between groups of people with different interests and goals. Regional identity becomes intertwined with living social networks that reach beyond the regular everyday social circles or professional sectors. Lifescape encourages people to be inquisitive and daring, to broaden their personal horizon and look across boundaries.

There has always been an important network of social, cultural and practical links between cities and their surrounding landscapes across North West Europe. Market places have been more than just places to exchange goods. This is where people from different sectors of society meet, gossip, and exchange information. As we develop closer links with the global economy, the relationship between urban living and rural hinterlands is being eroded. And today, the contrast between rural and urban life seems bigger than ever.

To repair this divide, Lifescape was designed to make the link between daily life and our natural environment more tangible. Lifescape is a wake up call: we are calling upon you to join in to protect and enhance the beauty of your landscape. The historical, cultural and natural qualities of landscapes are a meeting ground for new contacts and cooperation. Regional identity is an instrument to revive the relationship between people and the landscape and between rural and urban society. School children should know the farmer who produces the milk they drink and the fruit they eat, and vice versa.

We need to celebrate and reinforce the places where we - the urban consumers - encounter the regional producers of our food and the custodians of our environment and culture. Our decisions regarding work, food, health, inspiration, and happiness are reflected in the natural world that borders our towns and cities and we had better realize it. We need to explore, once again, the interface where urban living meets the countryside. Our landscape, once more, will become the product of the lives we choose to lead.