Designing for the Post-anthropocene Era: The Garden as a Metaphor for a Holistic and Symbiotic Approach

The contribution introduces the theoretical approach consistent with the essays collected in this book, placing it in the framework of the activities of the Internationalization Unit of the Department of Planning, Design, and Technology of Architecture, of which the author is coordinator. Climate change issues are prioritized and closely linked to cultural and social aspects, considering biodiversity conservation in constructive dialogue with the needs of communities and the anthropical environment. The interdisciplinary and international character of the volume reflects the peculiarities and cultural project of the Department, also referring to the principles underlying the New European Bauhaus, the virtual creative space between art, science, and the humanities, recently launched by Ursula Von der Leyen. Consistent with this approach, the theme of the garden was chosen as an exemplary concept in the history of the relationship between nature, the artificial, and mankind. This vast and complex subject is examined from the theoretical and design viewpoints of various disciplines: environmental and technological design, botany, legislative aspects, behavioral psychology, history and criticism of art and design, architectural design, and urban and territorial planning. After analyzing the concept of the Anthropocene, the author proposes a reflection on the relationship between nature and the artificial, introducing the idea of gardens and landscapes as places of cultural acquisition. In the following paragraphs, a few examples of the extraordinary variety of green places are cited, divided into two macro-categories: the vegetable garden as an enclosed space, sacred, and physical at the same time, which has always been cultivated and guarded, and the garden as a mental place of theoretical and philosophical thought but also of play. These models constitute some of the references of the idea of the garden as a habitat that operates on several levels, integrating nature and culture. The last paragraph questions the theories and different approaches that consider the garden as a transversal device extended to the entire planet, from macro to micro. According to this approach, the conservation of biodiversity involves the repositioning of humanity with respect to nature. Moving beyond the garden means to identify the design of green spaces as a cultural issue that implies a renewed awareness of the collaboration between the natural and artifact. In this sense, the garden is interpreted in its many dimensions and variations as a place of harmony and freedom, as an essential reference in the direction of overcoming anthropocentrism for a new narrative.