Following on from the success of the publications 20th Century Architecture in the Netherlands and 20th Century Urban Design in the Netherlands, NAi Publishers is presenting a third survey, this time focusing on the highlights and developments in the field of garden and landscape design in the Netherlands. Each chapter of the book is dedicated to one decade, with an essay outlining general developments during those ten years and a discussion of the most distinctive projects; the most important projects are illustrated. The images consist to a large extent of historic and new photographic material, supplemented where necessary with plans and design drawings.
Through the decades, the themes discussed include: the transition from 'utilitarian greenery' to 'greenery for consumption', the Zuiderzee Works - the construction of the massive Afsluitdijk (Enclosing Dike) to close off the Zuiderzee from the Waddenzee, the changes in agriculture, the Ecological Master Plan, garden design on country estates, the transformation of managed nature into 'new nature', and the development of public gardens and parks. The design or the designer are the main focus throughout, always considered in the light of broad social developments, such as fashionable trends, the increase of scale and intensification in agriculture, and changing recreational demands