Marjo J. Schlaman

Integrated approaches in landscape management are often seen as the way forward to provide
solutions for complex heritage problems that are related to policy, climate change, tourism,
environmental planning and involving the public. This has led to a range of interdisciplinary
and multidisciplinary projects aiming to add value to disciplinary approaches and gain
new insights. Although interdisciplinarity is a promising research approach, there are
many obstacles that may affect the quality of the project outcomes, slow down the overall
organisation or create substantive errors. This raises therefore the question: is integration
always a good idea?
In this paper, I will show the complexity of cultural-historical landscapes and examine
interdisciplinary approaches for their value as framework for historical landscapes. The role
of historical assessments methods in landscape design is discussed. Finally, the example of
two historical gardens and the process of their restoration and conservation will demonstrate
how interdisciplinary and disciplinary approaches are related to each other in the garden
design process.

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