Representations of rural metropolitan land in Italian Planning throughout the twentieth century: the case of Bologna
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Abstract
There has been a reassessment of planning concerns throughout the twentieth century. Rural land, which has been under pressure from urbanization for a long time, has recently been rediscovered as a source of values with a multifunctional dimension. We examine the main changes in its treatment in a series of plans, laws and other relevant measures in Italy, from the first landscape protection initiatives (1905) to the last generation of provincial plans (2000). Four stages are distinguished. The first stage establishes the bases for the natural and cultural protection of the Italian landscape. In the second one, dynamics of de-ruralization, urban concentration and dispersion result in the perception of a deep dichotomy between town and country. During the third one, planning assumes a role in the preservation of biodiversity. Finally, during the present phase, planning seeks the symbiosis of urban-rural logics in metropolitan areas. In each of the stages we review a series of proposals for the province of Bologna, a model of European planning. This study aims to illustrate the articulation of the category of metropolitan rural land in Italy, where planning culture pays special attention to the historical and human dimension of the territory.