| Throughout literature on landscape architecture, history, and urban design is the belief that theme parks are overly controlled, frivolous, deceptive, and ultimately inferior design. Many of these critiques neglect to acknowledge the existence of similar styles or goals in historic and contemporary revered landscape projects. These sources also consistently gloss over their immersive qualities, one of the most redeeming aspects of themed landscapes. Currently, within the field of landscape architecture, the individual's experience of space is frequently secondary to other design features, such as programming and formal arrangement. Theme park designers, demonstrate a strong ability to engage visitors in space by using various techniques of immersion. This text investigates common critiques of themed environments, provides defenses backed by established landscape styles, and looks at the construct of immersion and how it is generated. Ideally, this research can be used by landscape architects to design spaces that focus on the experiential aspects of space, in order to design more engaging and transformative places. |
