Local development/sustainable development. New integrations between «city and countryside»

Abstract

Urban regeneration is fast becoming a priority within the panorama of design activities performed by architects and urban planners. However, there is a great difficulty in identifying a renewed and shared approach that, in light of the current economic and environmental crisis, has assumed characteristics of unprecedented complexity. Consequently there is a need for an attentive study of the ‘reality’ of both governance (beginning with current legislative measures) and ‘knowledge’ (ex-amining the environment as an ecosystem) in order to participate in the configuration of a new ‘manifesto’ of environmental design. The competences of ‘technologists’ may/must be called upon to ‘direct’ a trans-disciplinary approach to this future ecosystem-based project.