Objetivos y estrategias para el proyecto territorial de los espacios abiertos metropolitanos: hacia una ecología regional

Abstract

Metropolitan open spaces, among which we consider agricultural and forest spaces, river spaces, beaches, parks, gardens, urban parterres and all those elements that, however small, have a certain degree naturalness as opposed to paved and built-up spaces, make up the metropolitan green infrastructure. These spaces, which have traditionally been used as reserve spaces for urban growth, should be considered as structural elements in territorial and urban planning, at the same level of importance that urban systems and infrastructure. The lack of a systemic approach, necessary for the way the biophysical matrix works, causes its preservation and protection not to be adequately addressed and not valued to its proper extent. This current situation of fragmentation, reduction and degradation affects territorial efficiency. Their environmental, productive and cultural functions, as well as the shape and structure they present, make them fundamental spaces with structuring capacity in any metropolitan scenario that we must recognize and value through their integral territorial project that they have suffered. This project should be framed in a new paradigm: Regional Ecology. This perspective integrates in a single analysis metabolism and structure of the whole region, abandoned the dichotomy that has traditionally been established between built spaces and open spaces.