Freedom to Roam

Abstract

This research aims to develop a regional model for walkways within rural environments which consider whole landscape approaches and the conflicting desires of landowners, conservationists and recreationists. A demand for outdoor recreation close to town centres has been identified by government initiatives as rural landscapes, like Horowhenua’s coastal environment are fundamental to the cultural identity of rural places and their surrounding regions. The exclusion of people from privately owned land has left little opportunity for communities to enjoy and safeguard the landforms and ecologies that define their regions. This design case-study proposes a walking access framework that acknowledges the landscape as a complex system of economic, ecological and social interactions. This research aims to use the metaphor of a path to integrate production, conservation and recreation within the same site, through the continual examination between Macro and Micro landscape approaches. Overall this research contributes a flexible and diverse alternative to walking through the countryside which tests the importance of multifunctional landscapes, increased biodiversity in farmland and the design of linear path spaces as places of social interaction.