Landscapes Across the Mediterranean

Dear Colleagues,

The Mediterranean region, with its distinctive interplay of opposing landscape dimensions, such as natural–cultural, human–urban, local–global, anthropic–economic, is currently experiencing significant transformations. Accelerated by processes such as suburbanisation, mass tourism, real estate dynamics, cultural homogenization, and digital and ecological transition, these changes pose complex challenges to settled communities and state institutions, which could benefit from innovative and multidisciplinary approaches to landscape representation, assessment, management and protection.

These aspects are part of the structural complexity of highly diversified and heterogeneous territories in terms of accessibility, population density, the intensity of anthropization, a balance between individual and collective dimensions, the concentration of wealth, and prospects for economic and social growth. In this respect, the landscape—incorrectly considered the perceived manifestation of a more or less harmonious relationship between the natural datum and anthropic processes—emerges as the structural dimension within which, on the one hand, the dissolution of forms (natural and cultural, the inherited, and those to be handed down) is measured, and on the other, the complex of norms for the rebalancing between weak areas and territorial attractors is outlined, in which, in addition to the majority of the wealth produced throughout the national territory, tensions and transformation processes are concentrated, with high rates of the irreversibility of natural resources and cultural heritage.

This Special Issue invites contributions exploring how Mediterranean landscapes can be reinterpreted as eco-socio-systemic units, where sustainability, inclusion, and value-based perspectives drive land use policies and territorial governance. We seek research that advances theoretical, methodological, and empirical knowledge on how to recognize, represent, and manage the multifaceted values of Mediterranean territories facing pressures of change.

Original contributions are welcome, including theoretical, methodological and operational research, reviews, and case studies. These should involve and link cognitive areas—such as landscape description, representation, evaluation, and design—with the operational areas of territorial rebalancing policies, local protection and valorisation programmes, and participatory approaches to governance. References should be made to the following territorial and economic dimensions of landscapes, as well as to the corresponding prospects and threats:

• Nature-scape: Ecosystem protection and space–time consumption.
• Coast-scape: Public function abdication, waterfront regeneration, and socio-spatial justice.
• Urban-scape: Managing suburbanization and urban sprawl.
• Rural-scape: Cultural mosaics and agricultural decline.
• Real estate-scape: Housing deprivation and territorial inequalities.
• Tourism-scape: The social and environmental impacts of tourism development.
• Culture-scape: The preservation and revitalization of local identities.
• Energy-scape: The impacts of territorial planning and energy transition on landscapes.

We look forward to your valuable contributions to foster an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable future for Mediterranean landscapes.

Dr. Lucia Della Spina
Dr. Maria Rosa Trovato
Dr. Salvatore Giuffrida
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• nature-scape
• coast-scape
• urban-scape
• rural-scape
• real estate-scape
• tourism-scape
• culture-scape
• energy-scape