A worn out landscape? Mapping the geography of waste in the Veneto region

This paper will focus on the notion of waste geography in the Veneto region , on the analysis and interpretation of its genesis- as a concept that has crossed conventional binary classifications- and on a perspective investigation of the relationships between open space and contemporary urban configurations.In order to address the dross-urban question we state that waste spaces can be interpreted as one dynamic system that can interact with the urban territory and reveal new relations.The Veneto region, as many other contemporary European territories, is the result of a long period of transition, especially during the last fifty years, in which it has been the protagonist of a process of development. Just in the last decades it starts to suffer of the consequences of the de- industrialization course. The economical shift has also coincided with a rapid disposal of areas and infrastructure, which has left behind a legacy of derelict landscapes, economically disadvantaged urban core areas. They have become socially distressed and environmentally degraded through industrial contamination and a process decline.Today the diffuse consequences of the economical/urban crises have become clearly visible. Different forms of waste landscapes, or Drosscape have started to emerge. They have resulted from two primary processes: a rapid horizontal urbanization and leftover land or detritus of industrial sites. The dispersed configuration of the Central Veneto area, has widely studied since the late ’80. Its distinctive features and changes identify this territory as “ diffuse city” and that is the reason why it could be consider an emblematic case.

Publication year:2013