Understanding green urban landscape connects the philosophical realm of phenomenology with the field of landscape architecture, building bridges between disciplines. Green urban landscape is explored with case examples of well-known park systems in Boston and Helsinki. Different narratives illuminate the landscapes from different angles; performance and movie-making inform the research, and a map-based public survey provides the perspective of others. As a result, the visible and invisible aspects of landscape emerge, including personal experiences and the processes of becoming — how the landscapes have come into being.
The approach is theory-based but practice-oriented, emphasizing the multisensory experience and multidimensionality of green urban landscape. The research provides a tool for analyzing landscapes — an aide to understand them more profoundly and in a more empathetic way — towards both the landscapes themselves and the people living and using them.