Regional ecosophy: a Guattarian approach to the border landscapes of the Irish Northwest

In this paper, we propose that landscape architecture is uniquely equipped to shape highly contested and politicized border regions. We contend that recognizing landscape architecture’s agency to contribute to national and international politics may enable the field to intervene in contemporary theoretical discussions within urban and regional studies that are otherwise dominated by geography and urban planning. Through the example of the Irish/Northern Irish border region in the face of Brexit, we discuss the limits to city planning and policy designations—such as that of city-region—in addressing the complex economies and ecologies of similar geopolitical landscapes. We also highlight environmentalist planning and design’s limitations in addressing the complex social practices and subjectivities that weave together regions like the Irish Northwest. Our alternative is a fieldwork-based “ecosophical” approach capable of addressing Félix Guattari’s social, environmental, and subjective ecologies in an integrated manner. With this, we establish how such an approach can offer a more nuanced set of tools to design and plan for larger regional landscapes.