Linking landscapes: green infrastructure as a tool for urban connections

Abstract

This paper deals with the issue of the urban landscape of the Municipality of Padula, in the Diano Valley (Vallo di Diano), Salerno. Here, the historic city centre in the highest part of the town sits opposite the valley, where there is the famous Padula’s Charterhouse and a widespread system of archaeological sites. Soon, in Padula there will be a new station linked to an under-construction high-speed railway line connecting Salerno to Reggio Calabria. The new station will be at the southern limit of the city, close to the Tanagro River. Whilst the new station is a great opportunity for the development of the region and for its tourist identity, conversely it risks underlining the territorial disconnection between different parts of the landscape. This paper studies the opportunity to design a strategy for the city starting from new connections between its different landscapes and its main sites of historical and archaeological interest. This is undertaken utilizing an understanding of the Mill Valley’s role and value, a forgotten landscape to be transformed into a green infrastructure that is to be a new public space for the city and a sustainable tool for experiencing the city and crossing the traditional landscape of the Cilento region.

Keywords: Green infrastructure, strategy, urban design, Padula, Charterhouse