Paesaggi urbani in transizione: l'avvento della vegetazione aliena

Abstract

The presence and impact of vegetation in urban areas have become unfamiliar to us. There is now a subtle and pervasive dimension of nature in many open spaces that alters how we interact with these places, transforming their identity and requiring a reevaluation of how they are managed in urban planning. This vegetation is considered "alien" not because it consists mostly of exotic species, but because it is unfamiliar and yet significant in its functional and expressive meanings, and the new relationships it forms with city dwellers. In transitioning to new landscapes that are hotter, drier, flood-prone, and vulnerable, vegetation in contemporary cities has become wild, exotic, and urban, directly influenced by climate change. Narrating this phenomenon requires a unique lexicon and an open mindset to accept the unexpected presence of vegetation in our cities, something that we never asked for or anticipated to such an extent.