Land use and consumption in a historical perspective. Definitions, concepts and methods

The relationship between societies and soil is an integral part of human history. It is closely linked to food production and consumption and to issues of land tenure and rent, and continues to evolve in response to global challenges and sustainability issues. This relationship is now strongly defined by land use and consumption practices that, at different scales, increasingly threaten the common good and the conservation of biodiversity. Urban planning practices, intensive forms of production, and environmental pressures tend to fragment, erode, and ultimately turn soil into a commodity, a "raw material" that can be used at will, rather than considering it as a non-renewable good. It is therefore necessary to question what soil is, what its functions are, and what the consequences of its consumption are, starting from its historical meaning. Knowledge of the evolution of the concept of "soil" and the history of "land consumption" can contribute to a broader understanding of the perspectives and rhetoric developed over time and the challenges of the present. On this basis, the Laboratorio di Storia delle Alpi (Accademia di architettura, Università della Svizzera italiana), in collaboration with the University of Lille, is organising a conference which, from an interdisciplinary perspective, aims to examine three main issues, namely: (1) the definition of land and its services; (2) the concepts of ownership, rights and citizenship in relation to land; (3) the current prospects for urban planning on land. 

17 and 18 Oct., Mendrisio, Accademia di architettura, palazzo Canavée, aula C064