Challenges for landscape architecture: Designed urban ecosystems and social acceptance

Abstract

Creation of new ecosystems within urban contexts has undeniable benefits for city dwellers in terms of increased urban biodiversity and related provisioning of ecosystem services. However, designing new ecosystems in areas with a high population density or subject to intensive use may generate also negative impacts on the anthropic dimension and cause social conflicts that, in turn, can undermine the project’s effectiveness. This article focuses on the quite unexplored issue of anthropic “costs” that new urban ecosystems can generate, and on design and management challenges that they open up in terms of social acceptance. Landscape architecture, as a synthesis of ecological, aesthetic and ethical aspects, seems to be the most appropriate framework for adopting a holistic approach to the design of new urban ecosystems. The article analyses three Italian landscape architecture projects. All projects adopted spatial measures oriented at fostering perception, understanding and acceptance of the recreated ecosystems, while preserving them from anthropic impacts. However, these efforts are sometimes jeopardized by a lack of concomitant operational measures, such as stakeholder involvement and sites’ maintenance. Co-existence of delicate habitats and urban functions is thus not utopic, but asks that projects effectively integrate ecological sciences, landscape design and management, as well as social-oriented practices.