Enhancing urban nature: on design, biodiversity and the construction of experience in Italy

Abstract

Current academic debate suggests that landscape architects have a crucial role in the conservationof engaging of biodiversity within urban and peri-urban contexts. By modulating the visual and physical interaction between humans and wildlife habitats, landscape architecture projects foster an aesthetic experience of biodiversity, contributing to shaping human understanding of its ecological value. This article discusses the relationship between landscape architecture and the promotion of biodiversity in Italy through a critical reading of a variety of design interventions ranging from the enhancement of sites included within nature reserves, to the reconstruction of lost natural habitats, to the inclusion of existing habitats in newly designed urban landscapes. Proposing four different typologies of spatial practices, defined according to the projects’ ability to engage visual perception and bodily movement, this paper aims at positioning the Italian context within the current global discussion on the role of landscape architecture in eliciting an aesthetic experience of biodiversity.