Agricultural heritage resource for the metropolitan landscape. The example of Milan metropolis. In "The Role of Heritage in Localising SDGs in the Metropolis" Heritopolis Working papers vol 2. UnHabitat

Heritage for the metropolis encompasses not only built heritage but also landscapes and agricultural landscapes. Landscape represents both tangible and intangible heritage, embodying goods and knowledge. “Over time, the meaning of cultural heritage in professional practice has expanded from single monuments and sites identified as objects of art to cultural landscapes, historic cities, and serial properties. Contemporary practice further extends the concept of heritage beyond ‘tangible heritage’ to the intangible dimensions of heritage as well. This includes the entirety of knowledge derived from the development and experience of human practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, and skills, along with associated objects and spaces that communities recognise as part of their cultural heritage” (ICOMOS, 2019). Historic agricultural landscapes are not relics of the past but resources for contemporary society, offering nature and culture-based solutions. They are palimpsests of historical traces and repositories of knowledge that have shaped our territories and, in many cases, continue to manage them despite being severely threatened by market economies, urbanization, and infrastructural development. These landscapes can provide solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change, even in peri-urban areas, such as droughts and floods. Urban agricultural landscapes, whether intra-urban or peri-urban, have evolved due to the need for food production (especially vegetables) and building materials for the city over time (Scazzosi, 2020). For the well-being of cities, it is important to include the conservation and enhancement of agricultural spaces within urban areas (agrourbanism) and to propose tools and methods to define the heritage of the metropolis from a broad perspective (social perception, meanings, use, among others) – SDG 11. Local communities can be involved in recognising the cultural and environmental values of historical landscapes and in coconstructing future landscapes. They can participate in raising awareness as well as in practical activities of caring and maintenance. With the aim of “Defining strategies to ensure the participation of citizens in decision-making (governance) - SDG 16,” the heritage community “Friends of the Marcite” (ICOMOS 2003; Branduini, 2024) was formed in Milan around the agricultural landscape of the marcite. This system involves a series of actions and projects for the recovery and enhancement of the management practice of the marcite meadow—a type of medievalorigin meadow that can produce large quantities of fodder for cattle and horses thanks to a widespread network of canals that allow water to flow even in winter. This practice, which was widespread until the 1960s and then declined, contributes to increasing urban biodiversity, recharging groundwater, and mitigating the urban heat island. The heritage community involves institutional actors, volunteers, and farmers in cultural and educational activities, as well as in practical heritage care and maintenance, through an intra- and intergenerational knowledge transmission action.