A systemic and informed approach for waterscapes design

Since the history of humanity has always been intertwined with that of water resources, it is possible to interpret water contexts in the light of our actions feeding a bond of exchange and mutual dependence. Water landscapes, with their fragility and vulnerability, represent the mirror of those territories which today are perhaps most affected by the ongoing climate crisis and which therefore demand to be rethought in terms of protection, management and planning. This research concerns the Mantua water system, a complicated field of application which faces the challenges of climate change with a series of environmental conditions that appear far from those in its birth and development. More specifically, the investigation concerns the area located north of the city of Mantua (Lombardy Region, Italy), an area with strong agricultural vocation characterized by the scattered presence of small and medium-sized urban centres. The territory analysed is linked to the Adige-Garda-Mincio-Tartaro-Canalbianco water system which carries out a series of functions aimed at the hydraulic defense of the territory. Mincio river is a central concern. It plays a key role for these landscapes, as its course intersects the entire stretch of the district, constituting an important ecological corridor that connects Lake Garda to the Po river. The large waterways in this territory, the dense network of multifunctional canals (irrigation, reclamation and mixed use) and the natural conformation of these places make this area exceptional for experiencing the coexistence of a multiplicity of different landscape scenarios. Working with the water resource, naturally elusive but at the same time conditioned by the will of man, involves an effort of accommodating the breadth of nuances that it entails. The plurality of gazes that it attracts is remarkable: water as an ordering element, water as a structural element, water as an instrument of identity construction, water as an element of sensorial attraction and so on. The water system is therefore analyzed and interpreted in the light of this physical and semantic richness, putting into practice a series of observations that converge in different but strongly complementary readings. To preserve and pass on the multilevel nature of this resource, the research proposes the recovery of the principles at the base of the systemic approach. The project aims at using the overall heterogeneity of water and the interaction of its different aspects as an element of strength and a starting point for the development of a landscape design in line with the complexity of these places.