Healthy hydrological systems control stormwater runoff, allow for groundwater recharge, and provi... more Healthy hydrological systems control stormwater runoff, allow for groundwater recharge, and provide water quality. On the contrary, today in urban environments impervious surfaces have increased stormwater runoff, affecting ecosystems and leading to hydrogeological instability and flooding risks. In particular, development and climate change affect water resources in terms of quantity and quality, altering the functions of many ecosystems with a negative effect also on well-being of people. Mitigation and adaptation strategies, which limit the effects of climate change and resource consumption, are crucial to achieve sustainable development in cities and improve environmental quality. The implementation of vegetated green and blue infrastructure (GBI) at city-scale is a key action to this process. It is necessary to examine this issue under three priority areas: the technicalscientific adaptation to new strategies and innovations in progress, the regulatory simplification of the ter...
Moving through the landscape with awareness has always been a revolutionary act for humanity, inv... more Moving through the landscape with awareness has always been a revolutionary act for humanity, involving a renewed consciousness of our place in space and time. It is no coincidence that a walk is placed at the origin of the modern concept of landscape, and then continues, through some fundamental moments, to characterize a way of relating to the surrounding environment through movement. If in various eras walking has represented a form of aesthetic research, even a desecrating model of rebellion against the status quo, it still remains a fundamental form of primary knowledge, essential for the understanding of everyday landscapes, explored through bodily and related practices to a more inclusive modality involving different actors, who shape and interpret contemporary landscapes.
La distinzione tra una tela dipinta e uno spazio aperto progettato per essere esplorato sembrava ... more La distinzione tra una tela dipinta e uno spazio aperto progettato per essere esplorato sembrava fino ad oggi qualcosa univocamente definibile. Il video game mette in crisi questa consuetudine di pensiero e rende labili i confini tra la rappresentazione di una scena e la realizzazione di luoghi, sia pur virtuali, fruibili da un utente. Dal punto di vista artistico, nei video game più recenti si è progressivamente affermata la tendenza a perseguire un'estetica in grado di instaurare rapporti dialogici con le opere d'arte del passato. Nel testo si vogliono considerare soprattutto le implicazioni di questa tendenza rispetto al tema della rappresentazione del paesaggio, nell'ambito di alcuni titoli di recente uscita. Si tratta di paesaggi ideati, progettati e realizzati per raccontare delle storie, secondo un impianto narrativo che segue i principi dell'environmental storytelling. In particolare, si sostiene che alcuni principi e poetiche tipiche del Romanticismo costitu...
Techne. Journal of Technology for Architecture and Environment, 2016
Le citta sono tra i luoghi piu vulnerabili rispetto agli effetti del climate change , soprattutto... more Le citta sono tra i luoghi piu vulnerabili rispetto agli effetti del climate change , soprattutto per quanto riguarda rischi alluvionali e onde di calore. Le infrastrutture verdi e blu sono annoverate tra le strategie natured-based di mitigazione e adattamento al cambiamento climatico, in quanto capaci di migliorare la qualita ambientale ed ecologica anche in ambienti densamente costruiti. L’articolo intende approfondire le strategie di gestione delle acque meteoriche in ambito urbano, in particolare quelle che prevedono l’integrazione tra infrastrutture verdi-blu e interventi di rinaturalizzazione degli ambiti fluviali. Le premesse teoriche, sviluppate in riferimento alla letteratura internazionale, sono oggetto di verifica attraverso l’analisi di due esperienze internazionali, avvenute rispettivamente a New York e a Nizza. Due casi in cui, in contesti e con modalita operative diverse, il miglioramento di aree urbane degradate e stato ottenuto grazie alla realizzazione di infrastru...
The living environment has widely recognized consequences on the well-being of city-dwellers. Gre... more The living environment has widely recognized consequences on the well-being of city-dwellers. Green streets, integrated in a network of parks and green space, can increase liveability of everyday landscapes and the health of residents, supporting and stimulating physical and psychological benefits. Greenways, in fact, are key infrastructures for the practice of physical activity and consequently have an important function of the reduction of diseases caused by a sedentary lifestyle. Beyond promoting exercise, a number of studies have proved that the perception of green and vegetation may have intrinsic qualities, which enhance psychological well-being. Moreover, green streets can increase social cohesion and social justice in urban contexts, counteracting health inequalities related to income deprivation, and supporting the recreational value of urban contexts.
The analysis of urban nature could be subdivided into a wide variety of interpretations and conce... more The analysis of urban nature could be subdivided into a wide variety of interpretations and conceptual tools. Especially in recent decades the concept of 'ecosystem service' has become established, due to its ability to summarize the multiplicity of values and functions performed by the presence of natural elements within an urban context. Urban green infrastructures, in fact, provide for a variety of functions (material and energy supply, regulations, as well as cultural and spiritual functions), as widely claimed by several authors since the 90s until today (Costanza et al., 1992; TEEB, 2001). However, beyond its most recent formulations, the concept of urban green has an established history. By implementing green spaces in the city, it has always sought to obtain a series of documented environmental benefits, as well as positive impacts on the health and quality of life of the inhabitants. For these reasons, the integration of greenery has accompanied urban development ov...
Green streets can have a great impact on urban stormwater management. As part of a green infrastr... more Green streets can have a great impact on urban stormwater management. As part of a green infrastructure, they can offer adaptable solutions to manage rainwater through minimizing the impact of development on the water cycle. They can use natural processes to manage runoff at source at a lower cost than traditional gray infrastructure’ (pipes and other water control devices). In fact, it is possible to incorporate water management features into streets, plazas, domestic gardens, and urban living spaces. Thus, many cities worldwide are exploiting green streets to control and treat stormwater runoff through the combination of pervious surfaces, vegetation, and soil. This is intended to slow, filter from impurities, slower infiltrate flow into the underground to improve water quality, reduce erosion, and recharge groundwater.
The coastal landscape of Genoa has profoundly changed over time to meet the requirements of the c... more The coastal landscape of Genoa has profoundly changed over time to meet the requirements of the city’s economy and society. In recent decades, the city has experienced a phase of divestment of the heavy industry, without other economic sectors being able to assume the same importance within the city's economy. Recently, tourism has become increasingly important and at the same time the awareness of what the city of Genoa can offer in terms of quality of life has grown. Observing the history of the coastal landscape with a critical spirit can help to guide planning decisions in order to consciously rethink the relationship between the city and the sea.
Healthy hydrological systems control stormwater runoff, allow for groundwater recharge, and provi... more Healthy hydrological systems control stormwater runoff, allow for groundwater recharge, and provide water quality. On the contrary, today in urban environments impervious surfaces have increased stormwater runoff, affecting ecosystems and leading to hydrogeological instability and flooding risks. In particular, development and climate change affect water resources in terms of quantity and quality, altering the functions of many ecosystems with a negative effect also on well-being of people. Mitigation and adaptation strategies, which limit the effects of climate change and resource consumption, are crucial to achieve sustainable development in cities and improve environmental quality. The implementation of vegetated green and blue infrastructure (GBI) at city-scale is a key action to this process. It is necessary to examine this issue under three priority areas: the technicalscientific adaptation to new strategies and innovations in progress, the regulatory simplification of the ter...
Moving through the landscape with awareness has always been a revolutionary act for humanity, inv... more Moving through the landscape with awareness has always been a revolutionary act for humanity, involving a renewed consciousness of our place in space and time. It is no coincidence that a walk is placed at the origin of the modern concept of landscape, and then continues, through some fundamental moments, to characterize a way of relating to the surrounding environment through movement. If in various eras walking has represented a form of aesthetic research, even a desecrating model of rebellion against the status quo, it still remains a fundamental form of primary knowledge, essential for the understanding of everyday landscapes, explored through bodily and related practices to a more inclusive modality involving different actors, who shape and interpret contemporary landscapes.
La distinzione tra una tela dipinta e uno spazio aperto progettato per essere esplorato sembrava ... more La distinzione tra una tela dipinta e uno spazio aperto progettato per essere esplorato sembrava fino ad oggi qualcosa univocamente definibile. Il video game mette in crisi questa consuetudine di pensiero e rende labili i confini tra la rappresentazione di una scena e la realizzazione di luoghi, sia pur virtuali, fruibili da un utente. Dal punto di vista artistico, nei video game più recenti si è progressivamente affermata la tendenza a perseguire un'estetica in grado di instaurare rapporti dialogici con le opere d'arte del passato. Nel testo si vogliono considerare soprattutto le implicazioni di questa tendenza rispetto al tema della rappresentazione del paesaggio, nell'ambito di alcuni titoli di recente uscita. Si tratta di paesaggi ideati, progettati e realizzati per raccontare delle storie, secondo un impianto narrativo che segue i principi dell'environmental storytelling. In particolare, si sostiene che alcuni principi e poetiche tipiche del Romanticismo costitu...
Techne. Journal of Technology for Architecture and Environment, 2016
Le citta sono tra i luoghi piu vulnerabili rispetto agli effetti del climate change , soprattutto... more Le citta sono tra i luoghi piu vulnerabili rispetto agli effetti del climate change , soprattutto per quanto riguarda rischi alluvionali e onde di calore. Le infrastrutture verdi e blu sono annoverate tra le strategie natured-based di mitigazione e adattamento al cambiamento climatico, in quanto capaci di migliorare la qualita ambientale ed ecologica anche in ambienti densamente costruiti. L’articolo intende approfondire le strategie di gestione delle acque meteoriche in ambito urbano, in particolare quelle che prevedono l’integrazione tra infrastrutture verdi-blu e interventi di rinaturalizzazione degli ambiti fluviali. Le premesse teoriche, sviluppate in riferimento alla letteratura internazionale, sono oggetto di verifica attraverso l’analisi di due esperienze internazionali, avvenute rispettivamente a New York e a Nizza. Due casi in cui, in contesti e con modalita operative diverse, il miglioramento di aree urbane degradate e stato ottenuto grazie alla realizzazione di infrastru...
The living environment has widely recognized consequences on the well-being of city-dwellers. Gre... more The living environment has widely recognized consequences on the well-being of city-dwellers. Green streets, integrated in a network of parks and green space, can increase liveability of everyday landscapes and the health of residents, supporting and stimulating physical and psychological benefits. Greenways, in fact, are key infrastructures for the practice of physical activity and consequently have an important function of the reduction of diseases caused by a sedentary lifestyle. Beyond promoting exercise, a number of studies have proved that the perception of green and vegetation may have intrinsic qualities, which enhance psychological well-being. Moreover, green streets can increase social cohesion and social justice in urban contexts, counteracting health inequalities related to income deprivation, and supporting the recreational value of urban contexts.
The analysis of urban nature could be subdivided into a wide variety of interpretations and conce... more The analysis of urban nature could be subdivided into a wide variety of interpretations and conceptual tools. Especially in recent decades the concept of 'ecosystem service' has become established, due to its ability to summarize the multiplicity of values and functions performed by the presence of natural elements within an urban context. Urban green infrastructures, in fact, provide for a variety of functions (material and energy supply, regulations, as well as cultural and spiritual functions), as widely claimed by several authors since the 90s until today (Costanza et al., 1992; TEEB, 2001). However, beyond its most recent formulations, the concept of urban green has an established history. By implementing green spaces in the city, it has always sought to obtain a series of documented environmental benefits, as well as positive impacts on the health and quality of life of the inhabitants. For these reasons, the integration of greenery has accompanied urban development ov...
Green streets can have a great impact on urban stormwater management. As part of a green infrastr... more Green streets can have a great impact on urban stormwater management. As part of a green infrastructure, they can offer adaptable solutions to manage rainwater through minimizing the impact of development on the water cycle. They can use natural processes to manage runoff at source at a lower cost than traditional gray infrastructure’ (pipes and other water control devices). In fact, it is possible to incorporate water management features into streets, plazas, domestic gardens, and urban living spaces. Thus, many cities worldwide are exploiting green streets to control and treat stormwater runoff through the combination of pervious surfaces, vegetation, and soil. This is intended to slow, filter from impurities, slower infiltrate flow into the underground to improve water quality, reduce erosion, and recharge groundwater.
The coastal landscape of Genoa has profoundly changed over time to meet the requirements of the c... more The coastal landscape of Genoa has profoundly changed over time to meet the requirements of the city’s economy and society. In recent decades, the city has experienced a phase of divestment of the heavy industry, without other economic sectors being able to assume the same importance within the city's economy. Recently, tourism has become increasingly important and at the same time the awareness of what the city of Genoa can offer in terms of quality of life has grown. Observing the history of the coastal landscape with a critical spirit can help to guide planning decisions in order to consciously rethink the relationship between the city and the sea.
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