A Methodology to Support Planning and Design of Suburban Agricultural Areas

The changed attitude of today’s society towards environmental protection requires a reconsideration of territorial resources management, according to models characterized by an improved sustainability. Specific attention should be pointed to the recovery and redevelopment of the suburban areas, where the residual agricultural areas can have a relevant function in any land protection actions. Indeed, maintaining the productive function can contribute to support the sale and consumption of farm-to-table agricultural products. On the other hand, the addition of new social and educational functions can help to strengthen the relationship between suburban areas and urban center. In this work some design criteria are defined, which allow the introduction of new activities in suburban areas in respect of the present activities and historical landscapes. Specifically, in a first phase, the requirements of the areas intended for specific activities are determined (agricultural, on the one hand, and fruition for free time and educational activities, on the other). Subsequently, the functional and technological compatibility between the two models (agricultural and fruition) is verified, in order to allow their coexistence and integration.