Cyprus and Sardinia at the Transition from the Bronze to the Iron Age: A Sacred Landscape Approach

In the framework of this contribution, and taking a macro-historic sacred landscapes approach, we established a comparative project analysing in parallel the development of sacred landscapes of two mega-islands, Cyprus and Sardinia, at the transition from the Bronze to the Iron Age. In both Cyprus and Sardinia, the period between the 12th and 8th centuries BC seems to have been a time when re-negotiations of individual, societal, and political identities took place, and this is clearly reflected on the construction of the sacred landscapes of the two islands. We first present our ‘landscape/macro-historic approach’; we then define the chronological horizon and the socio-historical contexts under discussion for each island, exploring at the same time how the hierarchical arrangement of ritual sites appearing at this transitional phase seems to be related with articulated social order or linked with shifting relations of power and cultural influence. Finally, we proceed to a discussion addressing the following three questions: (1) what is the relation between individual insularities and the construction of sacred landscapes on these two mega-islands?; (2) how can a ‘landscape/macro-historic approach’ assist us in better formulating microscopic approaches on both islands at the transition from the Bronze to the Iron Age?; and (3) is a comparative approach viable?

Activating biophilic design patterns as a sustainable landscape approach

Biophilic design elements are found around us in many landscape elements while we do not perceive them as biophilic design patterns. By developing our understanding of biophilic design as a phenomenon, we could discover simple ways to utilize landscape elements and transform them into a good biophilic design that might have positive impacts on a user’s health and well-being. Activating existing biophilic elements as an approach to a sustainable landscape has not been studied yet. Therefore, we rather analyse some international case studies in order to understand how biophilic design patterns can be implemented and see their different forms. Later, we will also go through an Egyptian biophilic design pattern case study and implement it to reach a sustainable landscape model. To summarize, the purpose of this study is to present a new sustainable landscape approach by activating biophilic design patterns in order to increase landscape efficiency.

Planning in Times of Uncertainty

Coastal city-regions are dealing with new wicked problems due to climate change. Therefore, there is a demand for alternative paradigms and methodologies beyond the neoconservative perspective, demanding a transformative planning practice based on a territory-landscape plan as a catalyst for change. Landscape approaches are not ‘new,’ but they have become a driving paradigm in the international realm during the last decades. This paper explores the differences in taking a landscape approach on the Global North and South and discusses how a landscape approach can add value to coastal planning theory, especially when looking for the territories of the 21st metropolis. Conclusions have shown that landscape approaches from both Global North and South can strongly lead to a transformative and adaptive response.

LANDSCAPE APPROACH METHODOLOGY IN ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING ABOUT. SAKHALIN

The landscape diversity of Sakhalin Island is considered. The classification, the internal content of taxa, the possibilities of practical implementation of the landscape approach in the development of Sakhalin Island.