In almost every civilization, the garden, much like paradise, has always been an enclosed space—a landscape factory designed to project and embody ideals of life. However, in the 20th century, the garden transcended its enclosure, giving way to ecology and, with it, a different form of boundary. The garden shifted in scale, becoming planetary.
To preserve this garden and emancipate it from market laws and the model of infinite development—both incompatible with life—the gardener proposed by Gilles Clément must listen to the “natural genius,” striving to understand before acting, and doing everything possible with nature, rather than against it.
Contents
Introduction
Three Definitions
The Advent of Ecology
Towards a Planetary Garden
The New Economist
Evolution and Planetary Mixing
The Place of Art
The Natural Genius
Recyclable City and Selective Memory
The Time-Object
