Urban cultural landscapes:an economic approach

Traditionally, a landscape is considered as an expanse of natural scenery that people come to see and enjoy. But this romantic perspective should be widened to include urban landscapes. In a city, the landscape changes with the position of the viewer, or even better, the “flaneur” – a person leisurely strolling through its streets. We are no longer in the closed cities of the medieval age or the architectural wonders of the Renaissance, but in a postmodern city where we are looking for feelings and emotions. The landscape then becomes an experience. It has a more subjective content and it may be better in such a case to use the terms “atmosphere” or “environment” instead of landscape. Changing the traditional view implies new quality assessment criteria and instruments. Issues change when the conservation of cultural landscapes is recognized as an important element for reinforcing the economic base of a territory rather than as a simple expression of an aesthetic need. It is no longer a question of compromising the growth of employment and income to protect a few old stones but to take action for the area’s sustainable economic development by avoiding useless or irreversible damage to the natural, cultural and, therefore, human environment. The long-term economic health of a community may demand that the urban cultural landscape not be sacrificed by blindly pursuing unregulated development. These motivations - ecological, tourist or cultural – will determine the type of actors who will play a role in the formulation of such policies. Some will intervene in the name of safeguarding the quality of the living conditions of the local inhabitants. Others will intervene in the name of preserving culture as an intangible element, while still others may invoke the beauty and integrity of a landscape. In this context, new cultural assets such as retrofits, cultural districts and quarters deserve attention