Una naturalità progettata: le infrastrutture viarie e di servizio all’interno dei National Park americani come supporto alla fruizione del paesaggio naturale

U.S. National Parks have been established since the second half of the XIX Century and they represent not only a procedure for the protection of Nature, but also they stand out for their important contribution to a new theory of landscape architecture, able to combine architectural planning, infrastructure engineering and the improvement of natural and landscape resources. The paper considers the historic events that have lead the creation of the US National Park System, particularly underlining the fundamental role of recreational and educational areas where man made designed transformations successfully integrated with nature. The current uses, conservation and management problems and related preservation plans are also investigated.