Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Archive
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Subscribers
    • Institutions
    • Advertisers
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
  • Connect
    • Feedback
    • Help
  • Alerts
  • ASLA Research Grant
  • Other Publications
    • UWP

User menu

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
Landscape Journal
  • Other Publications
    • UWP
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
Landscape Journal

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Archive
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Subscribers
    • Institutions
    • Advertisers
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
  • Connect
    • Feedback
    • Help
  • Alerts
  • ASLA Research Grant
  • Follow uwp on Twitter
  • Visit uwp on Facebook
Research ArticleArticles

The Line of Grace: Principles of Road Aesthetics in the Design of the Blue Ridge Parkway

Mary E. Myers
Landscape Journal, January 2004, 23 (2) 121-140; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/lj.23.2.121
Mary E. Myers
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

This case study centers on the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP), NC and VA (1934–1987), which is considered one of the most beautiful roads in the United States. However, very little has been published about the origins of its physical design or the design process. This article examines the design attributes of the BRP in conjunction with the eighteenth-century aesthetic theories of William Hogarth and Edmund Burke. The theories proposed that specific principles, such as the serpentine Line of Grace and smoothly transitioned variety, were fundamental to beauty. These attributes and others are reviewed in conjunction with the BRP. Qualitative methods were used to explore the hypothesis, including secondary and primary sources, field work, and elite interviews with persons associated with the BRP design. Results indicate that the BRP appears to embody several of the principles of Hogarth and Burke. A direct link to Hogarth and Burke was not found—that is, the BRP was not consciously designed according to their theories. However, links to the eighteenth century theories were found in the designer’s education and apprenticeship. Twentieth-century empirical research appears to support some of Hogarth’s and Burke’s propositions. This inquiry is unusual in contemporary road-related research in that it uses normative (art) theory as a basis for examining road design. It concludes that the fine arts training of landscape architects was important to the design approach and aesthetic success of the BRP and suggests ways of incorporating the classic aesthetic principles in future road design.

  • © 2004 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Log in using your username and password

Forgot your user name or password?

Log in through your institution

You may be able to gain access using your login credentials for your institution. Contact your library if you do not have a username and password.
If your organization uses OpenAthens, you can log in using your OpenAthens username and password. To check if your institution is supported, please see this list. Contact your library for more details.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Landscape Journal
Vol. 23, Issue 2
1 Jan 2004
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Index by author
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Landscape Journal.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
The Line of Grace: Principles of Road Aesthetics in the Design of the Blue Ridge Parkway
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Landscape Journal
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Landscape Journal web site.
Citation Tools
The Line of Grace: Principles of Road Aesthetics in the Design of the Blue Ridge Parkway
Mary E. Myers
Landscape Journal Jan 2004, 23 (2) 121-140; DOI: 10.3368/lj.23.2.121

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
The Line of Grace: Principles of Road Aesthetics in the Design of the Blue Ridge Parkway
Mary E. Myers
Landscape Journal Jan 2004, 23 (2) 121-140; DOI: 10.3368/lj.23.2.121
Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
Bookmark this article

Jump to section

  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • A Tribute to Robert B. Riley 1931–2019
  • Fluid or Fixed? Processes that Facilitate or Constrain a Sense of Inclusion in Participatory Schoolyard and Park Design
  • Diversity and Inclusion by Design: A Challenge for Us All
Show more Articles

Similar Articles

UWP

© 2023 Landscape Journal

Powered by HighWire