Jo Boonen

Background

About Jo Boonen

For as long as I remember, I’ve been intrigued by the way in which people (/all living creatures) and space are connected. The many subtle and intricate dependencies which shape those relations fascinate me. I believe the space in which we grow up becomes part of our identity. And that's quite fundamental. Through stories and symbolism, through rituals and law, and through the little nuances in physical space. I have long been fascinated by the landscape as a concept in which those people and those spaces are one and the same. Where human-made borders are continuously questioned by that landscape. Landscape, as I understand it is a living thing. Something in continuous evolution, infused with stories and meanings. And, unfortunately, full of unjust practices and unbalanced power relationships. I have long been disappointed by spatial policy and spatial professionals (one of which is me), because collectively we fail the think like a landscape (or - like a mountain (A. Leopold)). We need to learn how to use it’s fundamentals as a starting point in looking at space: it’s potential for shaping a better society in which all living creatures are considered. Equally. We rarely succeed in putting generosity, care and togetherness at the core of what we do as spatial professionals. We prefer life over death, even though both are necessities and mutually dependent in landscape. We lack a sort of fundamental balance in the way we think about space. We are blind in too many ways. I am realizing, slowly, about how these fascinations of mine have been a continuously driving force in the choices I made. The choice to study landscape architecture. The choice to study urban planning. The choice in doing research in landscape. The choice of the specific research questions which I struggle to answer every day. Questions about landscape democracy, justice in landscape, about democratic planning processes. And this growing realization makes me thankful for the (relative) freedom I have in synchronising my work with this daily personal fascination. I am grateful that I get the opportunity to spend time searching. For having the time and liberty to share my insights so freely, in so that others can learn from them, too. Because those kinds of freedom cannot not be taken for granted by everyone. Those democratic principles are not evident in any landscape. I hope to contribute to a world where they can be, in the future.