CULTURAL LANDSCAPES OF MADRID: Knowledge and intervention from an integrative approach

Cultural landscapes are a type of heritage that are extremely dynamic and complex. Firstly, they constitute a quantitative expansion of the spatial scale of cultural assets as, in general, they span large stretches of land. Secondly, they imply a qualitative change in relation to the traditional assessment criteria for cultural heritage which, for the first time, is moving towards phenomenological aspects to do with perception and cultural meaning. These issues have posed a huge challenge for the Public Administrations, which have to identify, assess, study and manage this new category of heritage from a perspective that is very different to the traditional approaches.

In response to these challenges, CULTURESCAPES-CM explores cultural landscapes from an integrative point of view, paying special attention to those within the Community of Madrid. In 2013, the region modified its Law on Historical Heritage in order to implement “categorisation according to the type of Cultural Landscape, in compliance with the European Landscape Convention (Council of Europe treaty no. 176)”, as it sets out in its preamble.

The CULTURESCAPES-CM programme provides innovative techniques and methods with which to approach cultural landscapes, while also proposing intervention criteria and strategies to manage them creatively by encouraging the public to value, enjoy and benefit from them. The programme’s six objectives include:

1. To document the landscape in high-definition digital models.
2. Integrative methods for the appreciation of sensitive factors.
3. To identify and describe Madrid’s cultural landscapes.
4. The relationship between the cultural landscape, society and tourism.
5. Creative intervention measures for land and economic development.
6. Internationalisation, training and dissemination.