Infrascape: infrastrutture e paesaggio in Olanda

The Dutch landscape tradition has its own character linked to the nature of the territory, an artificial territory engineered in every element, from the regional structure of hydrological networks to the details of the construction of public space. Nothing is left to chance. Everything is planned, designed, engineered and managed with care and precision. Aware ofthe fact that their existence and survival depend on the infrastructures, Dutch planners and designers, especially in the twentieth century, developed policies and strategies to maintain a sustainable balance between urbanization, landscape and infrastructure. From the plans for South Amsterdam by Berlage to the projects for new social housing neighbourhoods designed by Oud, to the experiences by Van Eyck and Hertzberger and the latest developments by Koolhaas, Mecanoo, MVRDV, West 8, the modern Dutch architectural culture has constantly raised issues that concern the management of public spaces in relation to the landscape and sustainability. This essay wishes to reflect on the Dutch infrastructure project as a structuring and integrated element of the landscapes of mobility, following six approaches defined by different spatial relationships and by scale.These scales are: L-Colonization, XL: Panorama, L: Densification, M: Mending, S:Integration, XS: Acupuncture.