Landscape Online – transdisciplinary journal bridging science, policy and practice Supported by the International Association for Landscape Ecology and its community openLandscape access peer Online reviewed RESEARCH ARTICLE Page 1 Landscape Online | Volume 70 | 2019 | Pages 1-17 | DOI 10.3097/LO.201970 Submitted: 8 July 2018 | Accepted in revised version: 15 June 2019| Published: 28 June 2019 The Effects of Cultural Background and Past Usage on Iranian- Australians’ Appreciation of Urban Parks and Aesthetic Preferences Abstract Nasim Yazdani* To understand how newcomers and established immigrants perceive cultural landscapes that have been imbued with a nationality’s cultural meanings and Faculty of Science Engineering & heritage, exploring the cultural background and landscape myths and values Built Environment Deakin University, of that immigrants’ community can be a starting point. Examining whether Geelong, Australia immigrants perceive or prefer those values in a new landscape setting requires a wider understanding of immigrants’ activities, preferences, and expectations. *Corresponding author: Nasim The present paper aims to investigate how Australian urban park landscape Yazdani, Faculty of Science settings may be perceived by Iranian immigrants in terms of having aesthetic Engineering & Built Environment, attributes, and how they use these spaces. It approaches the issue of immigration School of Architecture and Built and park experiences through seeking the links between park settings and Environment, Deakin University, the way immigrants see and interpret them based on their cultural, social, Geelong, Australia. Email:
[email protected]; nasim. and geographical backgrounds. It particularly focuses on Iranian immigrants
[email protected] and Iran’s cultural landscape to explore different views of constructed natural landscapes and their effects on park usage and aesthetic preferences.