According to the European Landscape Convention, the landscape “means an area, as perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors”. The idea of a structured landscape, whose human-nature relationships have been built over time, highlights the importance of immaterial factors and interactions. Indeed, the Council of Europe recognizes the salience of the preservation of the landscape, “as an essential component of people’s surroundings [and] expression of the diversity of their shared cultural and natural heritage”. Notably, landscapes play an active role in the construction of territorial identity. Consequently, identifying the relational and intrinsic values of a territory means understanding and enhancing what makes it unique. In this way, participatory mapping plays a fundamental role in terms of future management and planning, defining shared projects in which communities, as active subjects, contribute to interpreting their living environments._x000D_
Therefore, this contribution, which is part of a larger doctoral thesis project, aims to offer some initial reflections on the possibility of implementing a participatory mapping process in a regional park. In particular, the research focuses on the role of parish maps in improving the management and planning of the Regional Park of the Roman Castles area. This one, situated on the doorstep of Rome, represents an interesting case study for investigating the participatory process within a protected area, that is experiencing significant anthropic pressure. The aim is to understand how parish map, as a “self-recognition path” (Magnaghi, 2010) in which communities identify territorial values, can be integrated into ordinary management according to local needs and aspirations. The topic of contribution addresses this issue through a qualitative and field method, that implements bibliographic research and possible interviews with park administrators and employees.
Benedetta Cesarini
Università di Roma Tor Vergata
ID Abstract: 385