Vacancy and the Landscape: Cultural Context and Design Response

In everyday language, land or a building described as “empty” or “vacant” means there are no structures or people visible, or the building is currently unoccupied, or that neither have apparent productive use. “There’s nothing there” is a common phrase to describe an open landscape that lacks scenic appeal or distinguishing features. The declaration of vacancy or emptiness erases important dimensions of a site: natural processes and characteristics above or below the scale of conventional perception, cultural history or meanings that may not have physical presence, and systems that are not recognized as having immediate functional purpose. This article examines the cultural ideas of vacancy and landscape, and what these mean in terms of how sites are described, perceived and valued. From this broad context, the discussion shifts to different theories of vacant places and compares strategies of awareness, revealing, openness and occupation. The designer’s approach to a vacant site is similar to the thoughtful engagement of any site, but there are opportunities and problems specific to empty landscapes.