Settlements and Urban Morphological Quality in Landscape Planning–Analytical Models and Regulating Tools in the Landscape Plan of Regione Toscana

Abstract

Settlement and urban landscape quality is a vast field of research, ranging from studies on “the shape of the city” to studies on functions and services performed by the urban landscape. In Italy, a decisive steering role is entrusted to regional landscape planning, as introduced through the current Code of Cultural Heritage and Landscape. Regional landscape plans define the rules to which all municipal plans must conform. This paper aims to assess the effectiveness with which the general principles and rules regarding settlement and urban landscape quality defined on a regional level through landscape plans are transposed and implemented on a local level through municipal plans. We chose the case study of Regione Toscana, which has a Regional Landscape Plan approved in 2015 (PIT/PPR) that identifies “settlement morphotypes” and “contemporary urbanisation morphotypes” and presents “Guidelines for landscape redevelopment of urbanised fabric in the contemporary city”. We examined how the eight municipal plans approved so far are addressed in the PIT/PPR contents. We also conducted a more in-depth study on topics of interest through structured interviews with four designers who were responsible for most of the plans analysed. We also conducted a more in-depth study on topics of interest through structured interviews with several plan designers. The results from the discussion showed some weakness in the PIT/PPR’s ability to guide local planning tools to improve urban quality. Additionally, the PIT/PPR’s effectiveness appears more evident in the rhetoric of arguments used by local plans than in the results of the transformations that they prefigure.