Traditional Nature-based Architecture and Landscape Design: Lessons From Samoa and Wider Oceania

Abstract

In Oceania, buildings and landscapes have evolved in various ways and forms over centuries and showcase the inextricable connection between Pacific peoples and their island and ocean environments. The continued existence of Pacific Island traditional architecture and landscape design (ALD) demonstrates the resilience of Pacific Island peoples and cultural knowledge. This chapter employs a place-based and Indigenous-centric approach to exploring traditional, nature-based ALD in Oceania using Samoa as a case study. The chapter argues that traditional knowledge must be front and center in the development of ALD strategies to produce interconnected ecological and human well-being benefits. Traditional knowledge must also be the foundation of ongoing efforts to adapt to changing climatic, political, and social contexts in the region. Models of urban design for climate change adaptation must adapt local traditional architecture centered upon circular and open style living, small-scale buildings, and the development of green spaces.