Among those who have investigated the matter, there is a clear consensus that theory has been neglected in landscape aesthetics. There has been a vast amount of research in the field, but that research has not been unified by any comprehensive theory. Instead, the various research efforts either are atheoretical or reflect fragmented and apparently incompatible theoretical foundations. In The Aesthetics of Landscape, Steven C. Bourassa responds to this situation by providing a comprehensive theoretical framework for research in landscape aesthetics. The book commences with two philosophical chapters which contain critical reviews of the history of ideas about landscape and aesthetic experience. Then, the author presents a tripartite paradigm which combines biological, cultural, and personal aspects of aesthetic experience in a unified framework. He then reviews the literature on each of the three aspects of aesthetic experience.

Finally, the theory is applied to practical problems of landscape evaluation and design, with particular emphasis on the question of postmodernism. An essential book both for members of the design professions and academics interested in the history, philosophy and practice of landscape.