Visual and Spatial Structure of Landscapes

by Tadahiko Higuchi, Charles Terry (Translator)

In this imaginative and generously illustrated book, Tadahiko Higuchi applies a methodology to landscape that is similar to that developed by Kevin Lynch for investigating the extent to which urban settings are legible and "imageable" to their inhabitants. He identifies features such as landmarks, boundaries, paths, and nodes that enable people moving through a landscape to piece together a reliable mental map of their surroundings, beginning with major structural elements and filling in with successively finer detail.

218 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Syuk Bash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visual and Spatial Structure of Landscapes is what happens when a landscape architect tries to reverse-engineer why some views feel “right” — using diagrams, topography, and the occasional dash of geometry. Tadahiko Higuchi doesn’t romanticize nature. He dissects it.

The book is heavy on line drawings, slope maps, and visibility analyses — the kind of content that thrills planners and sends casual readers running. There’s not much narrative, and absolutely no poetic detours. Just pure, unfiltered spatial logic: how lines of sight, horizon shapes, and landform rhythms guide how we perceive and move through space.

It’s not for everyone. But if you’ve ever paused on a hill and wondered why the landscape feels balanced — or why one temple vista haunts you and another doesn't — this book might explain it. Quietly brilliant, if a bit dry. Much like the landscapes it celebrates.