Cultural landscapes are the “home,” the space and the place in which we live.  They reflect the people and the cultures who create them in their interaction with the natural world around them.  They also reflect the layers of the periods that came before, and often reflect the influences of diverse groups of people. Like societies, landscapes are continually evolving, and their management demands that social and environmental change be understood.

The cultural landscape initiative includes four activities:

1. Research: A focus on understanding the dynamics of the creation of place and its expression in the landscape. For information on current research projects, please click here;
2. Education: A Cultural Landscape certificate at the graduate level that is available to degree and non-degree students of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  For more information about the certificate, please click here to download the certificate brochure and/or here to go to the certificate webpage;
3. Technology Transfer: A co-operative project with the US National Park Service, the US Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites(US/ICOMOS), and the International Scientific Committee for Cultural Landscapes (ISCCL) of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) to make available the latest research on cultural landscapes documentation, policy and practice from around the world.  For more information on this project click here for CH&S blog posts and to search by title, location, and/or subject  or click here to go to the US/ICOMOS website; and 
4. Outreach: Working with US and international clients on issues of cultural landscape documentation, policy and management.  If you are interested in proposing a project or finding out more information about how we work with communities, governments and organizations, please click here to fill out a contact form.