GEOGRAPHY I

The course focuses on the main concepts relating to environmental issues affecting the recent increase of human action in trasforming the earth surface, in order to improve students' expertise in analyzing and explaining territorial complexity.
Special interest will be devoted to the concept of both environmental and cultural heritage. The course will consider instruments to understand the main geomorphological characters, with special focus on hydrography and mountainous regions. Specific aim will be the critical analysis of both environmental waste and its geographical spreading, with special attention to urban sprawl in Venice inland landscapes.

The instructional goal of the course is that of developing knowledge about:
- the relevance of the environment in the evolution of human landscapes, with special regards to natural characters and to cultural heritage.
- the concept of "Cultural Heritage"with its manifold aspect, focusing on the risks and threats affecting both rural and suburban landscapes.
- the role of territorial policies.

The achievement of specific practical and applied skills will concern:
- assessment of Cultural Heritage within each landscape, evaluating both environmental and aesthetic qualities.
- the competence to detect and analyze the potential environmental risks, with a special focus on local contexts.
- the proper use of digital tools to set up a census in order to assess and safeguard natural and cultural heritage.

Basic knowledge of concepts and terms of geography.
Students are besides required a basic knowledge of the concept of "Cultural Heritage" and they are finally espected to manage high school atlases cartography.

Main terrestrial ecosystems and their relationships with human activities will be considered. The course is besides aiming to develop the idea of landscape in an holistic sense, with a special focus not only on alternative social economic landscape planning strategies, but also on cultural attitudes in order to foster new participative territorialities. A special investigation will be devoted to the modernization of plain area in Veneto region. A special focus will be devoted to the hydrography as remarkable repository of cultural heritage. Urban sprawl effects in Venice inland will be finally considered.

Attending students:

1) Notes from the lectures

2) Eugenio TURRI, Il paesaggio degli uomini. La natura, la cultura, la storia, Bologna, Zanichelli, 2009 (the 2003 edition can be used as well). The requested chapters will be indicated during the course.

3) Francesco VALLERANI, Italia Desnuda. Percorsi di resistenza nel paese del cemento, Milano, Unicopli, 2013.

4) A further lecture notes will be available on line.

Not attending students:

1) Eugenio TURRI, Il paesaggio degli uomini. La natura, la cultura, la storia, Bologna, Zanichelli, 2009 (the 2003 edition can be used as well). Only chapters 1, 2 and 3 are requested.

2) Francesco VALLERANI, Italia Desnuda. Percorsi di resistenza nel paese del cemento, Milano, Unicopli, 2013.

3) A further lecture notes will be available on line.

The exam consists of a written proof with 8 open-ended questions concerning the abovementioned program. 90 minutes will be the timing of the written test.

Professor will use lecture-style presentation and learning outcomes will be enhanced accessing to further texts in the Moodle Platform.
Specific seminars will enhance the learning activities with special focuses on the Veneto landscape cultural and natural heritage.

written

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Natural capital and environmental quality" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development