4x1: 4 km2 over 1 century

“4x1” is a semester-long exercise developed this year by students of the Landscape Architecture master degree studio at the University of Ferrara (Italy). We asked them to select and frame an area of 4 square kilometres (2 per 2 kilometres wide) from anywhere in the world. Two 1:2500 plans were required, representing the landscape context today and in a century from now. There were a few restrictions on the drawings: no raster images, use of greyscale only, no text. Moreover, the selected areas had to meet a building coverage ratio of less than 20%. The main request was to take into account documented forecasts on climate change effects, as well as concurrent social trends (tourism, depopulation, etc.) or actual plans for urban and infrastructure development. In contrast, they have been free to speculate about future configurations according to different attitudes (policies) towards the forces at play: ranging from strong anthropic responses to "do nothing" answers. One purpose of the assignment was to challenge students' tendency to “overminig” design or analysis tasks: that is to take into account too general or generic topics, overestimating them, in the belief they can be transferred linearly from one scale to another. Throughout the research, they had to, and learnt to, continuously change the scale of their investigation, even in order to decide how to frame the chosen context. The final illustrations are a distilled outcome of a wider survey - on data and processes - which for the most part almost disappears during the journey. In the long run, the landscape we try to depict is always something that “withdraws” from our knowledge, perception or any attempt at fully describing it. But this is its fascination

Paisajes inéditos. Un nuevo tipo de naturaleza para las turberas dañadas en la Isla de Skye en Escocia

ABSTRACT: The essay discusses the theoretical implications of ecological restoration in landscape architecture. The study presents a management plan for highly damaged peatlands in the Isle of Skye in Scotland, where the habitat is threatened by a radical forestation process. Being a natural carbon stock, damaged peatlands are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. The project suggests gradually turning the case-study area's economy from tree farming to tourism, making the most out of the unique biodiversity of peatlands. The proposal traces a chronological activation plan of a touristic network that will run in parallel with the restoration of peats, native broadleaf forests, heather and cotion-grass meadows. Depending on the ability to recover of different soils, the restoration plan intends to gradually activate new dynamics in the landscape. The result is a stable “novel ecosystem” whose key interactions and processes are induced by new biotic and abiotic conditions. The article investigates and discusses possible strategies to develop a new kind of wilderness that differs from any previous condition and emerges from an alternative land use.RESUMEN : El ensayo discute las implicaciones teóricas de la restauración ecológica en la arquitectura del paisaje. El estudio presenta un plan de gestión para las turberas altamente dañadas de la Isla de Skye en Escocia, donde el hábitat está amenazado por un proceso de forestación radical. Al ser una reserva natural de carbono, las turberas dañadas son una fuente importante de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero. El proyecto sugiere que la economía de la zona estudiada pase gradualmente del cultivo de árboles al turismo, aprovechando al máximo la biodiversidad única de las turberas. La propuesta traza un plan de activación cronológica de una red turística que irá en paralelo con la restauración de turberas, bosques nativos de hoja ancha, brezos y praderas de algodoncillo. En función de la capacidad de recuperación de los diferentes suelos, el plan de restauración pretende activar gradualmente nuevas dinámicas en el paisaje. El resultado es un "ecosistema nuevo" estable cuyas interacciones y procesos clave son inducidos por nuevas condiciones bióticas y abióticas. En el articulo se investigan y analizan las posibles estrategias para desarrollar un nuevo tipo de naturaleza salvaje que difiera de cualquier condición anterior y que surja de un uso alternativo de la terra.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Novel landscapes. A new kind of wilderness for damaged peatlands on the Isle of Skye in Scotland [Paisajes inéditos. Un nuevo tipo de naturaleza para las turberas dañadas en la Isla de Skye en Escocia]

The essay discusses the theoretical implications of ecological restoration in landscape architecture. The study presents a management plan for highly damaged peatlands in the Isle of Skye in Scotland, where the habitat is threatened by a radical forestation process. Being a natural carbon stock, damaged peatlands are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. The project suggests gradually turning the case-study area's economy from tree farming to tourism, making the most out of the unique biodiversity of peatlands. The proposal traces a chronological activation plan of a touristic network that will run in parallel with the restoration of peats, native broadleaf forests, heather and cotton-grass meadows. Depending on the ability to recover of different soils, the restoration plan intends to gradually activate new dynamics in the landscape. The result is a stable “novel ecosystem” whose key interactions and processes are induced by new biotic and abiotic conditions. The article investigates and discusses possible strategies to develop a new kind of wilderness that differs from any previous condition and emerges from an alternative land use

Urbano Vegetale. Esperienze e concetti per un paesaggio orientato agli oggetti

Il contributo ragiona sul potenziale del progetto di paesaggio nel riformare l'approccio ai temi della salute urbana soprattutto di fronte a fenomeni, tanto sfuggenti quanto pervasivi, quali il cambiamento climatico. Partendo dai presupposti della Object Oriented Ontology, si argomenta la necessità di elevare tutti gli oggetti, senza distinzioni, su un piano di esistenza autonoma, così da superare la genericità di alcune pratiche che tendono a normalizzare lo spazio urbano sotto il vessillo della sostenibilità e la retorica del ‘verde’. L'esperienza ‘Urbano Vegetale’ è un tentativo di inserirsi, in maniera disturbante, in queste dinamiche, piegando le procedure di forestazione urbana alla volontà di teatralizzare i meccanismi di adattamento delle piante alle mutevoli condizioni ambientali. L'obiettivo è dimostrare come sia possibile, attraverso il dispositivo della ‘metafora’ applicato al progetto, sviluppare affiliazioni ecologiche più sane decentralizzando l'umano

Direito alternativo: a juridicidade nas favelas

Embora relegado pelo Estado, o espaço urbano das favelas brasileiras não se caracteriza pela ausência de regras e controles urbanos, mas por uma manifestação específica destes mecanismos. Uma população social e espacialmente segregada, com pouco conhecimento das leis escritas, mas que sabe, por vivência cotidiana, o significado de justiça e legalidade – foi capaz de estruturar de forma independente a produção do espaço urbano que habitam. Para os habitantes da favela, os direitos não dizem respeito apenas às garantias inscritas na lei e nas instituições, mas ao modo como as relações sociais se estruturam. O distanciamento frente às estruturas formais de controle, que a condição de ilegalidade e informalidade estabelece, proporcionou a organização de estruturas próprias de controle e manutenção da ordem urbana, que, além de propiciar certa independência de gestão, mostram-se muito mais adequadas às condições e especificidades do espaço que ocupam do que suas equivalentes formais.

Monument to Julio Argentino Roca: traces of silence

La escultura que es objeto de nuestra investigación está dedicada al ex presidente de la nación (1880-1886 y 1898-1904), Julio Argentino Roca. La misma, emplazada sobre la avenida que lleva su mismo nombre y la calle Perú, en la ciudad de Buenos Aires, ha sido realizada por José Luis Zorrilla de San Martín, e inaugurada en 1941. Todo el conjunto escultórico parece una especie de nave, que serena y tranquilamente navega hacia el centro neurálgico del poder. Representa el proyecto en el que estábamos embarcados como país, por decisión de una élite. En esa época surgían los nuevos proyectos de traza en la ciudad de Buenos Aires. Un planteo de ciudad diagonal y racional, proyectada al estilo boulevard francés. Esta racionalidad en la traza escondía la violenta imposición de un progreso ciego, en el cual se creyó como si se tratara de una nueva religión, sin importar los medios con los cuales llegaría a imponerse.The sculpture that is the object of our research is dedicated to the former president of the nation Julio Argentino Roca (1880-1886 and 1898-1904). It is located on the avenue that bears the same name and Peru Street, in Buenos Aires City. It has been done by José Luis Zorrilla de San Martin and inaugurated in 1941. The whole sculptural ensemble seems like a kind of ship that sails calmly and peacefully towards the nerve center of power. It represents the project in which the country was directed by an elite decision. At that time the new trace projects were emerging in the city of Buenos Aires. A diagonal and rational city project designed in the French boulevard style. This rationality in the trace hid the violent imposition of blind progress, in which it was believed as if it were a new religion, regardless of the means by which it would be imposed.Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociale

La violencia simbólica en la escuela

La escuela como heredera de los Estados Nacionales ha practicado los ideales de libertad, fraternidad e igualdad, dando lugar a un proceso de igualación social y de pertenencia a un núcleo ético-mítico cultural común. Pero, el presente histórico en el que se instala la escuela actual no es Moderno sino Posmoderno o propio de una Modernidad tardía. La escuela de hoy afronta un desafío: o bien metaboliza los cambios del universo histórico-social de la realidad donde se constata el choque entre universos simbólicos, o bien realiza su práctica educativa sin tenerlos en cuenta. Para ello se postula en este trabajo la recuperación del sujeto a través de las subjetividades diferenciadas que intentan recuperar intereses, prácticas sociales, representaciones imaginarias a través de una dialéctica interna, considerando la pluralidad y diversidad de sentidos sociales, un sí mismo que resulte de la dialéctica de la conciencia y lo inconsciente por un lado y de la recuperación de las prácticas o intereses sociales por otro

Monument to Julio Argentino Roca: traces of silence

La escultura que es objeto de nuestra investigación está dedicada al ex presidente de la nación (1880-1886 y 1898-1904), Julio Argentino Roca. La misma, emplazada sobre la avenida que lleva su mismo nombre y la calle Perú, en la ciudad de Buenos Aires, ha sido realizada por José Luis Zorrilla de San Martín, e inaugurada en 1941. Todo el conjunto escultórico parece una especie de nave, que serena y tranquilamente navega hacia el centro neurálgico del poder. Representa el proyecto en el que estábamos embarcados como país, por decisión de una élite. En esa época surgían los nuevos proyectos de traza en la ciudad de Buenos Aires. Un planteo de ciudad diagonal y racional, proyectada al estilo boulevard francés. Esta racionalidad en la traza escondía la violenta imposición de un progreso ciego, en el cual se creyó como si se tratara de una nueva religión, sin importar los medios con los cuales llegaría a imponerse.The sculpture that is the object of our research is dedicated to the former president of the nation Julio Argentino Roca (1880-1886 and 1898-1904). It is located on the avenue that bears the same name and Peru Street, in Buenos Aires City. It has been done by José Luis Zorrilla de San Martin and inaugurated in 1941. The whole sculptural ensemble seems like a kind of ship that sails calmly and peacefully towards the nerve center of power. It represents the project in which the country was directed by an elite decision. At that time the new trace projects were emerging in the city of Buenos Aires. A diagonal and rational city project designed in the French boulevard style. This rationality in the trace hid the violent imposition of blind progress, in which it was believed as if it were a new religion, regardless of the means by which it would be imposed.Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociale