Urban parks and heritage landscape

Abstract

Certain urban parks around the world play an important role in the construction of a land scape identity in the cities. Many of them, therefore, are regarded as heritage landscapes. This paper discusses the process of heritage formation concerning green public spaces. It focus particularly on Parque do Flamengo in Rio de Janeiro, one of the outstanding examples of Brazilian urban and landscape design of the 1960s. This study is part of a broader research project for understanding the values and meanings of parks for the cities and their population. Three main themes will be discussed. A brief account of the making of the park, the values underpinning the preservation order and the role of the park in reinforcing the city identity. Finally the paper concludes arguing that heritage landscapes as cultural landscapes are never a finished product but rather places in constant transformation and re-interpretation from those who manage or use them.