The landscape as a learning space. The experiential approach of a ‘landscape school’ in Trentino, Italy

ABSTRACT

The European Landscape Convention marked an epistemological turn by emphasising the role of personal experience developed within socially constructed frames of reference. The landscape, therefore, should be regarded as a common good, crucial for personal and collective well-being, which implies a commitment of a political nature. This entails widespread awareness, as well as updated technical skills and appropriate politico-administrative actions. Landscape education must play a key role, therefore, but awareness-raising, cultural initiatives, and training processes require approaches and methods centred on experience, thus shifting from teaching to learning, from a passive to an active role of participants. This article analyses the experience of a ‘school’ of landscape education operating since 2009 in Trentino, Italy. It develops an analytical framework and a critical examination of the approaches applied. In particular, it discusses the ‘learning devices’ used to stimulate interest in the landscape and to develop participatory, cooperative and responsible attitudes.

KEYWORDS:

• European Landscape Convention
• landscape education
• active learning
• cooperative learning
• citizenship education

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the anonymous referees who provided useful and detailed comments on a previous version of the manuscript.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gianluca Cepollaro

Gianluca Cepollaro is vice-director of tsm (Trentino School of Management) and director of step-Scuola per il Governo del Territorio e del Paesaggio of the Province of Trento, Italy. His area of expertise concerns adult education and professional training, issues on which he has published extensively. He has developed inquiries and research on landscape perception, psychology of landscape, and approaches and methods for landscape education.

Bruno Zanon

Bruno Zanon taught Urban and Spatial Planning at the University of Trento, Italy, until 2018. His research interests are focused on regional and urban planning, landscape protection and management, and sustainable development of mountain areas. He is a member of the Scientific Committee of step-Scuola per il Governo del Territorio e del Paesaggio of the Province of Trento, involved in awareness raising and education to landscape values.