Landscape Profiles, Urbanization and Environmental Protection in Europe: Is Western the Future Scenario for Eastern?

Abstract

The paper aims to analyze the macro landscape profiles of Western and Eastern European countries in search of affinities or evolutionary signs that may lead to defining lines of scenario. The landscape mosaic is notoriously very different in different countries, but several common elements can be recognized that emerge from some specifically cut surveys and are not intuitive. In particular, it is of interest to investigate the different configurations of urban patterns together with those of other key landscape units, such as agricultural, forest and semi-natural, trying to ascertain affinities. Interpretive help in this regard is also thought to come from the survey of environmental protection, investigated through national and community instruments, which is a very valid indicator for understanding the level and quality of land management toward which a country is trending. Awarenesses acquired in Western Europe for many years already testify that the settlement development patterns followed in the last half century cannot be considered entirely positive and, therefore, it would be helpful if other Eastern Bloc countries were able to perceive the pathological aspects and not repeat them in their trajectories of, albeit legitimate, economic and social growth. The method used sought to demonstrate the dependence of settlement growth patterns on economic characteristics, but also revealed some unexpected differences in environmental protection policies.