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VIA SALENTINA…………………………………………………page
VIA SALENTINA
Reclaiming Rurality, Regaining Salento
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Type of project: Cultural landscape
European Post-Masters in Urbanism, IUAV Re-forming Salento Workshop
Year: 2017
Authors: Karoline Fischer, Maricruz Gazel, Adriano Amenta, Marco Andreatta, Zhouyigi Chen, Francesca Strafella. Taken place during the development of an integrated urban plan for the municipalities of Presicce and Acquarica, the workshop was an occasion to question about Salento territory’s future, imagining how the landscape would change considering current environmental, social and economic challenges, and what would be the strateqies to face these transformations.
Via Sallentina is a road from the Messapic Era, which in Roman times connected Leuca harbor and Appia road, very important for the economy and commerce of Salento peninsula. Presently, the road is a reference landscape axis, as it crosses centenary
olive trees, heritage elements and the traditional agriculture felds, important images of the region's identity.
But this territory is under transformation. Facing the Xylella Fastidiosa bacteria threat, that already devastated a good amount of olive felds, landowners and the residents started worrying about the agriculture production future, as it is based on olive cultivation and the region's economy depends on it. Other facts that contribute to the current scenario are:
Increase of local unplanned tourism Climate change Considerable job demand Olive trees plantation is diminishing productivity Heritage in abandonment or underused.
What may occur if we do nothing? What if Salento landscape renounced to the olive trees, so threatened by Xylella?
We would have a deserted and unproductive landscape, where the heritage elements would be the only thing left, but would remain without a use.
Unproductive felds and existing abandoned heritage elements.
SCENARIO 2. What if olive production is market driven?
What if olive oil is no longer cultivated and we drive the production to global market?
Economy may be benefciate but in that way we would be producing a landscape with identity and renouncing the territory.
Fields populated by highly productive greenhouses
What if we replace the sick trees and construct an innovative and more sustainable productive landscape also valorising heritage elements?
It’s possible if we also create news forms of waste management and enrichment of diversity production.
SCENARIO 4. What if olive trees remain?
What if we want to maintain the olive trees as traditional elements in the landscape?
To achieve that, the sick trees area replaced for an intermediate crop as the soil recovers and policies of reutilisation of heritage are implemented. Olive felds, new crops and valorisation of heritage
