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Taking Measures Across the American Landscape
Only in the past century have Americans been able to see their country from the air, to view its majestic natural and manmade topography and muse how it came to look the way it does. Landscape architect James Corner and aerial photographer Alex MacLean now present breathtaking photographs, exquisite map-drawings, and thoughtful essays that record their flights across the continental United States and express their growing understanding of the way the American landscape has been forged by various cultures in the past and what the possibilities are for its future design.
The book traces the influence on the American landscape of the Anasazi and the Hopi in the southwest, the French along the Mississippi, the British in the east, the pioneer Americans across the plains, and the technological society across much of modern-day America. It investigates the ways in which landscape representation—particularly aerial vision—not only reflects a given reality but also constitutes a way of seeing and acting in the world. It discusses the many meanings of measure—from practical (such as solar furnaces in California) to poetic (such as raised tablets in Illinois that once formed the structure of an ancient city). And it suggests alternative possibilities for planning and taking future measures in our environment, building upon examples that range from the rectilinear survey landscape to the great transportation networks and such technological innovations as windmill fields, pivot-irrigation systems, and radio-telescope installations.
The book traces the influence on the American landscape of the Anasazi and the Hopi in the southwest, the French along the Mississippi, the British in the east, the pioneer Americans across the plains, and the technological society across much of modern-day America. It investigates the ways in which landscape representation—particularly aerial vision—not only reflects a given reality but also constitutes a way of seeing and acting in the world. It discusses the many meanings of measure—from practical (such as solar furnaces in California) to poetic (such as raised tablets in Illinois that once formed the structure of an ancient city). And it suggests alternative possibilities for planning and taking future measures in our environment, building upon examples that range from the rectilinear survey landscape to the great transportation networks and such technological innovations as windmill fields, pivot-irrigation systems, and radio-telescope installations.
185 pages, Paperback
First published October 30, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 18, 2023
Exquisite imagery, brilliant and incisive text, provocative ideas, all in a deliciously inviting production of a book.
Who knew that the graveyard for B-52s in Arizona was part of the nuclear-disarmament treaty?
With images that invite the reader to slow down, savor, ponder, enjoy, there are countless jewels of thought here.
Who knew that the graveyard for B-52s in Arizona was part of the nuclear-disarmament treaty?
With images that invite the reader to slow down, savor, ponder, enjoy, there are countless jewels of thought here.
July 13, 2022
Very enamored with the graphics Corner produced in this book. They compliment the text well as they both tend to be very in depth and esoteric, but present so much quantitative and qualitative information in a fantastic way. I found the text accompanying to be my favorite part even though I initially read the book for the graphics presented: his comprehensive study of measurement was very fascinating and the categorization helped to digest some more in-depth analyses.
What was most enlightening is how much we adjust and bend our measurement systems to accommodate the land’s more organic systems. It reminds me about Benton MacKaye’s ideas about Liquid and Solid planning which flip between bending to natures will and vice versa. Rather than pitching the unreliable measurement systems as a negative fact, the book is more of an homage to those efforts to measure land on a micro scale, and an appreciation for the macro scale of the landscape.
What was most enlightening is how much we adjust and bend our measurement systems to accommodate the land’s more organic systems. It reminds me about Benton MacKaye’s ideas about Liquid and Solid planning which flip between bending to natures will and vice versa. Rather than pitching the unreliable measurement systems as a negative fact, the book is more of an homage to those efforts to measure land on a micro scale, and an appreciation for the macro scale of the landscape.
July 31, 2007
Probably my favorite book to just pick up and flip through. I had to scan it for work once on a painfully ancient scanner (so it took like a week to get the book done) and it was the only time I enjoyed watching the computer as the scan would slowly slowly load. It took me a few years to finally get around to buying it, but it should serve as a testament to the brilliance of the book that I still had the title and author's name burned in my head when I decided "now is the time to make the purchase."
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May 18, 2009Somehow I let this book sit on my table for months while I thought about grad school and everything else, and I finally read it over the weekend. This is a very exciting book. The diagrams paired with amazing aerial photographs and explanatory texts make for a completely engaging reading experience that seems to open up many possibilities.
Thanks for lending this to me, Ann!
Thanks for lending this to me, Ann!
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September 21, 2010Aerial photos of American landscapes, especially agricultural and industrial scenes, by pilot/photographer Alex MacLean. Essays and composite drawings by Corner look at phenomenological relationships between land use, measurement, and design.
June 14, 2011
Essays: Dull and unimaginative.
Photos: Extraordinary. The meat of the book.
Collages: Beautiful, but simplistic.
Photos: Extraordinary. The meat of the book.
Collages: Beautiful, but simplistic.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews