ABSTRACT
Starting from the notion of the ‘social imaginary’ developed by such thinkers as Cornelius Castoriadis and Charles Taylor, this chapter suggests that there are such things as ‘landscape imaginaries’, produced and shared within particular cultures, and that these in turn have an influence upon the sorts of landscapes which are desired by clients and produced by landscape architects. The chapter supports this thesis by looking at the history of utopian and dystopian visions, including the perennially influential Pastoral imaginary and the currently pervasive Edgelands imaginary. It argues that we cannot operate without imaginaries, but urges designers to maintain a critical awareness, for as Jacques Lacan has warned us, the imaginary can also be the field of deception and lure. Contributing to a developing imaginary, however, can be an invigorating challenge, and attention to the sorts of imaginaries we create, foster, and sustain is an ethical imperative.
