The book provides readers with insights on how cultural landscapes are conceptualised under two major realms of tangible and intangible values as exemplified in this study of a rural Nupe community in central Nigeria. Equally important are the people-space and place relationship which results in a sense of place. The cultural values of communities are a product of both natural as well as the social setting which begins with the family. Accordingly, this book showcases how the concept of family structure shapes the architecture of the domestic space. Similarly, it also exemplifies how tangible and intangible cultural values are constituted within the domestic space as well as the entire cultural landscape.
The uniqueness of this book is on the empirical evidence which is based on the documentation of an eight-month ethnographic study which brought about the native's resident perception of their cultural landscape. This aligns with the global call in which UNESCO is at the forefront advocating the need for the preservation of values and identities of cultural landscapes. More also is that scholars in Human geography, Anthropology, Ethnography, Architecture and Cultural landscape studies can relate to the cultural transactions discussed in different chapters this book. The concluding chapter of this book gives the deductions drawn from the cultural landscape values of Nupe community which resulted in the formulation of Grounded Theory with spatial implications.
Isa Bala Muhammad obtained his PhD in Architecture from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and a receipient of an Award in the same institution as the best graduating PhD student in the Department of Architecture in 2015. He had his Master's Degree as well as bachelor's degree in architecture in 2000 and 2002 respectively from Federal University of Technology Minna, Nigeria. He joined the services of the Niger State government as an architect in 2003 where he designed and supervised several government projects and rose to the position of Senior Architect. He later joined the Federal University of Technology Minna as a lecturer in 2007 and has lectured and supervised both undergraduate and post graduate students. He has written articles in cultural landscape values and human relationship with environment. His research interest is: Ethnography, Cultural landscapes, Ecosystem Services and Human Behaviour and Environment. Isa Bala Muhammad is a reviewer of University based journals amongst which are Pertanika Journal of Science and Technology, Univesity of Putra Malaysia; Archi-Culture Journal of University of Jos Nigeria and Nigerian Journal of Technological Research of the Federal University of Technology Minna. Similarly he is also an Editorial member of Environmental Technology and Science Journal of the Federal University of Technology Minna. He teaches Advanced landscape Design, Interior Design and Advanced CADD at Federal Univesity of Technology, Minna, Nigeria. He is the Postgraduate Coordinator of the Department of Architecture in the same institution.
