The authors challenge the notion that a disconnect from our surroundings indicates a failure of ethics and aesthetics. Instead, they investigate innovative ways in which individuals can engage with urban spaces, highlighting the potential for meaningful interactions that enrich both personal and communal experiences within cities.
The volume brings together contributions by both leading scholars and young academics with a particular experience in the urban potential of the territory in situations not necessarily linked to the dense metropolis, its compact form or to city sprawl. What brings these scholars together is their common reflection on this central theme, though from varied disciplinary and experimental backgrounds. Leading academics like A. Mela (Prof. of Territory and Environment Sociology, University of Turin), S. Tagliagambe (Prof. of Philosophy and Science, University of Sassari), G. Maciocco (Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Alghero, Italy) and P. Pittaluga have accumulated long-time experience in developing environmental approaches within Philosophy, Sciences, Environmental Planning and Art. Researchers like I. Doucet, N. Janssens and K. Boon in their turn bring in approaches related to specific European contexts.
The Reinvented City reflects on externity, the principal feature of a reinvented city. Three fundamental trends of the city are investigated, „discomposed“, „generic“ and „segregated“ phenomena with the loss of the city as a space of social interaction and communication. The interpretative categories of externity are the intermediate spaces, the counterspaces, the void, the edge, the territory and the environment, places on which to base the future city project. Important questions are posed: What is the true public sphere in contemporary societies? What is the contemporary public space corresponding to it? In what way can the city project construct contemporary public space?
Urban Landscape Perspectives examines the integration of landscape terminology into urban discourse. The articles present theoretical reflections on landscape as a project-oriented concept, emphasizing its role in defining humanity's sense of home and the foundational elements of city construction and public space. This perspective advocates for a project-driven approach that reconnects the city and landscape, suggesting that the landscape project is intrinsically linked to the city project. The title helps narrow the focus to the relationship between these two concepts, acknowledging a historical detachment that tradition has often overlooked. Additionally, the volume includes discussions on how territory influences urban life and landscape organization, exploring shifts in the understanding of centrality within cities and embracing more environmentally focused interpretations. The contributions come from scholars in philosophy, architecture, and urban and landscape planning, all of whom share a keen interest in the city project across various operational scales.