On the Theoretical Vacuum in Landscape Assessment

Abstract

In 1975, Jay Appleton drew attention to the theoretical vacuum in landscape evaluation. In 1982, Zube, Sell, and Taylor identified “a conspicuous theoretical void in the majority of the research.” They, as Appleton, issued a call to develop a theoretical framework for the field. My purpose is to determine the extent to which the theoretical vacuum remains a problem for landscape assessment studies. I examine the manner in which the call to fill the vacuum has been answered by considering two representative samples, one from the beginning and one from the end of the decade. The first is developed in Zube's “Themes in Landscape Assessment Theory” and Sell, Taylor, and Zube's “Toward a Theoretical Framework for Landscape Perception.” The second example is presented in Steven Bourassa's The Aesthetics of Landscape. By means of an investigation of these two cases, I argue that Although important theoretical work has been accomplished, much remains to be done. In particular, the field still lacks an adequate theory of justification. I conclude with some remarks about why such a theory is lacking and why it is required.