Paesaggi della sostenibilità. Come i nuovi bisogni, le nuove tecnologie e le nuove energie trasformano i luoghi e il nostro modo di viverci e di concepirli. Introduzione

New needs, new technologies; new energies and new opportunities, also stimulated and strengthen by technological innovations. Extends from this key the range of topics addressed in this cycle of Iconemi.
Landscapes of sustainability entails a clarification, which in the opinion of those who writes represents a step forward cultural in Italy, on the very concept of sustainability, duly issued and treated like no other in these last three decades (assuming which references the Brundtland Report of 1987 and the 1992 Rio Conference) in territorial disciplines. The concept of sustainability (understood of components ecological-environmental) has amply informed territorial policies also in Italy (at least in the premises, all to be measured in the choices more or less consistent with the assumptions) in its connotation, fundamental but partial, of environmental sustainability. The success of Rio and Agenda 21 urged attention and action even the local scale around the themes of the protection of the environment and of social participation in the construction of the choices which legitimate claim of citizenship (active). And the Nineties Local Agenda 21, coding of "Sanctuaries" of naturalness on a European scale (with the Nature 2000 network), the spread of widespread logic and crosslink around to uphold environmental values-landscaped (ecological networks), the maturation of tools for the assessment of design choices and policies (with the emergence of environmental assessments on the project and then with the introduction from the directive of 2001 the instrument of Strategic Environmental Assessment on plans and programs).
But, precisely with reference to Community policies, the strategy for sustainable development which informs the action of the European Union takes such as key objectives the protection of the environment and biodiversity, together with equity and social cohesion and economic prosperity. In the discussions relating to the subjects of urban choices and territorial, in which the components of the triangle Society - Economy - Environment must find a summary and an intelligent mediation (informed and aware), often the decision-making processes are recording the radicalization of the positions of the Actors: defense of the environment vs. 'projects of development", defense of agricultural territory vs. need to modernize the infrastructure and environmental values vs. jobs, … in a dialog that is difficult to consider and evaluate in integrated form the various components. A problem certainly an effective governance of the decision-making processes, but here also appropriate opening to the complexity - that does not allow for comfortable trenches of belonging- the concept of sustainability.