A survey of landscape planning in Italy, where application is utopia. An updated proposal for a shared landscape analysis model

Landscape is known to be an across-the-board issue. Italy is one of the 14 signatories of European Landscape Convention and has enacted a specific law (Urbani Code) devoted to regulating landscape planning and management. Despite this, landscape planning in Italy is far from being a clearly defined field based on standardized and shared procedures. Only a small fraction of the Landscape Plans has so far been completed and they tend to be completely unrelated to each other. The existence of too many authorities having a say in the drawing up and supervision of the Plans leads to the accumulation of absurdly long delays in obtaining approval for the Plans. The vagueness of the Italian laws concerning landscape prevents the development of National models and strategies for landscape management and safeguard. A detailed analysis of the Italian situation of landscape planning and proposals aimed at improving the existing system are presented.