Il paesaggio e il territorio fattori di identità e sviluppo

Landscape and territory as factors of identity and development This paper focuses on the potential role of the identitarian representation of territory, as a common good, for ‘an Apulian approach’ towards self-sustainable local development. This is considered an alternative to the old, ineffective model experienced in Apulia as well as in other Southern Italian regions after the Second World War, based on the ‘emulative paradigm’, or the passive acceptance of the model adopted by ‘more developed’ regions. The first section explains the role of the people’s awareness of landscape values and a shared political vision of the future of Puglia’s territory based on these values. The second section provides a picture of the development perspectives outlined by the new landscape territorial plan approved by the Apulia Regional Council according to the above-mentioned approach, while the third recognises the fluidity and dynamic nature of the notion of identity. The final section illustrates tools, knowledges and strategies that the new landscape territorial plan uses to encourage local inhabitants to recognise the high value of their landscape, not only of the ‘special' landscapes but also of the 'ordinary' ones, and the subsequent need to protecting, enhancing and taking care of it, in order to promote a new type of development and improve collective well-being.