Framing the Open (Urban) Project: Insights from Landscape and Ecology

In the 80’s and 90’s, architects grew interested in experimenting with change over time, flexibility, indeterminacy, multiple layers and programs – what Manuel Gausa defined as an emerging open logic in architecture. At the same time, landscape and ecology were seen by many as the most appropriate medium to operate in the context of complex urban infrastructure and fringe areas. Currently, the threat posed by climate change and the increasing investment from cities on creating and repurposing open spaces and infrastructure, is feeding a renovated interest in landscape design. However, it is also leading to an increasing objectification of landscape. This paper will look at five recent projects of landscape architecture to reflect on the value and limits of 'open-ness' in urban design.