From Heritage as Landscape to Landscape as Heritage

The relations between landscape and heritage are historical. Nevertheless, in the past heritages were those that had features of landscapes, whether they were landscapes constructed by political power in a given period, or were vernacular, that is, constructed gradually by communities. We argue that landscapes may be considered common heritage because they are areas whose singular character is the result of the interaction of natural and human factors as set out under the European Landscape Convention. We also argue that, beyond their development in Europe, conceiving of landscapes as heritage is a useful instrument worldwide.