The Center for Land Use Interpretation is a research and education organization interested in understanding the nature and extent of human interaction with the surface of the earth, and in finding new meanings in the intentional and incidental forms that we individually and collectively create. We believe that the manmade landscape is a cultural inscription, that can be read to better understand who we are, and what we are doing.
The organization was founded in 1994, and since that time it has continuously produced public programs that include exhibits on land use, shown in its own network of exhibit facilities, and in public institutions all over the United States, and overseas. The Center has also published books and periodicals, conducted public tours, and hosted lectures. From the inception of the organization, much of its activity has been focused on an online audience, where visitors to its website can freely access databases and archives.
The CLUI exists to stimulate discussion, thought, and general interest in the contemporary landscape. Neither an environmental group nor an industry affiliated organization, the work of the Center integrates the many approaches to land use—the many perspectives of the landscape—into a single vision that illustrates the common ground in “land use” debates. At the very least, the Center attempts to emphasize the multiplicity of points of view regarding the utilization of terrestrial and geographic resources.