Between lines and land

Abstract

This study engages with the evolving discourse of the post-theoretical paradigm and its implications for landscape architecture in Turkey. The research explores landscape architecture’s shift to a post-theoretical stance, focusing on responsive solutions to societal and environmental challenges. The National Landscape Architecture Awards in Turkey, organized by the Turkish Chamber of Landscape Architects, play a pivotal role in this investigation. These awards, while reflecting the theoretical and practical evolution of landscape architecture, also act as barometers for the discipline’s alignment with post-theoretical thought and its departure from traditional high theory. The research design uses a cyclical hermeneutic reading, where data collection, analysis, and interpretation continuously interact. Data was collected through retrospective archive searches of Landscape Architecture Awards reports since 2009. Discourse analysis revealed the profession’s post-theoretical status, reinterpreted hermeneutically and coded descriptively. Through this descriptive coding, the study identifies and interprets recurring themes, relationships, and concepts embedded within the award narratives, providing insights into the ever-blurring boundaries between theory and practice. The research underscores the significance of hermeneutics in deciphering the intricate dynamics shaping landscape architecture, especially in a post-theoretical age characterized by fluidity between theoretical constructs and practical implementations. Ultimately, by exploring the nuanced interplay between theory, practice, and context, this study offers a fresh perspective on landscape architecture’s trajectory in Turkey, illuminating its adaptive and responsive nature in a rapidly changing world.