About the Book

This book is a result of the first summit of the International Landscape Collaborative (ILC), which was held in Chile among the group’s founding members and collaborators. The summit is intended to be a biennial platform where knowledge is exchanged, recorded, and distilled in publications that provide pathways to critically understand and intervene in different geographies through the landscape approach. The inaugural meeting was held in Santiago, Chile, in January 2018, entitled From the South: Global Perspectives on Landscape and Territory. The heterogeneous human and natural environment of Chile—and its constant and sometimes violent variability—has precipitated a robust and coherent discourse about landscape as a subject of social and cultural study. This study is key to a productive and responsible relationship with the territory and thus, Santiago offered an ideal and stimulating environment for the ILC’s first conference.

The Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile acted as the hosting institution, offering space for the presentations of case studies from practice and academic research, as well as for workshops and round-table conversations. Contributions presented work from different global geographies, including North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. They were paired with Chilean presenters sharing their recent research and projects on critical issues related to urban and territorial landscapes in the context of Chile. The juxtaposition of Chilean and international perspectives sparked stimulating conversations, and revealed similarities and distinctions among the geographies that were discussed. The ILC intends to continue with this format periodically in order to engage with multi-disciplinary professionals and academics working in diverse contexts.

We gratefully acknowledge the following people for their perspectives, reflections and critical thinking, as well as their assistance in the process of the publication, and most importantly, translating all this time-intensive work into the first book of the International Landscape Collaborative.

Pablo Allard Serrano, María Carolina Contesse Strauss, Carolina Contreras Salvo, Felipe Correa Tagle, Calayde Davey, Francisco de la Barrera, Aníbal Fuentes Palacios, María Carolina Flores Salvo, Pamela Hurtado Berger, Justin Kollar, Juan Carlos Leppe Rojas, Óscar Mackenney, Sofía Mackenney, Constanza Meneses Santa Cruz, Angela Mimica Godoy, Nupoor Monani, Osvaldo Moreno Flores, Julio Moya, Miguel Nazar Daccarett, Catalina Picon, Dima Rachid, Antonia Rudnay, Samantha Solano, Valentina Schmidt Escobar, PG Smit, Aliza Sovani, Karen Ulriksen Ojeda, Diego Urrejola Correa, Sonja Vangjeli, and Juan Carlos Vargas Moreno.