MAPPING

The landscape team's initial approach consisted of a quantitative survey of critical variables that help define the site. The four variables listed below were chosen based on a consideration of the Orto as a place for visitors to recreate as well as a place for education and research.

1. Visitor Access

An examination of the structure of the existing circulation system helps in understanding people's impetus to experience the Orto Botanico. An investigation of both barriers and invitations to access each path helps create a stratification system of qualities related to access to the Orto.

2. Botanical Research

One primary mission of the Orto Botanico is to cultivate and display a diverse collection of plant species. While the primary function of the Orto is scientific research, recreation is also a significant element. This dichotomy is a challenge for the Orto's management. Recognizing the strain that visitors can place on the vegetation, it is necessary to study the overall health of the garden, specifically the botanical conditions.

3. Exhibit Type

The Orto Botanico is administer as a research institution whose scientific objectives sometimes compete with historical landscape design and recreation. It is these three categories-recreation, scientific research, and historical and formal design-that formed the classification system for the mapping. While it is difficult to completely discern which areas are only affiliated with one aspect, the decision for classification rests on the judgment of which type is most apparent or dominant.

4. Plant Density

The extent of the vegetation in the Orto Botanico is various depending on plant species and location. While some plants are cultivated in a controlled environment, others are left to grow naturally. A six-tiered classification of levels of plant density was developed to map and analyze the Orto Botanico. This process produced an alternative to a general aerial map, which could not reach the level of detail desired.