Searching for a new social identity: a commentary on 'crisis landscapes', urban fringes and sustainable development

In a time of crisis, an increasing debate has been promoted on peri urban land quality, agricultural and productive activities developed on urban fringe and on the related urban-rural socioeconomic relations, in a perspective of sustainable development. Peripheral urban areas can be seen as multifunctional areas, favoring diversified economies and promoting agriculture-related uses of land containing urban expansion. The present work brings a reflection on peri-urban landscapes under crisis, integrating different disciplinary visions. Non-urban, non-rural (but degraded) landscapes are the objective of this study, going beyond the aesthetic-visual approach typical of landscape studies and reflecting a regional science point of view. When reading territorial complexity, we need a strong integration between quantitative methodologies and qualitative assessment approaches. Evaluating latent landscapes under crisis requires an in depth understanding of historical, cultural and political implications of economic recession,