The interpretation of landscape: Strategies towards smarter cities

In recent years we have seen a gradually increasing concern for the urban landscape and the way it is designed and evaluated. This concern, a result of the emergence of digital technologies and convergence of different scientific disciplines, is based on the ability of design tools to support and reinforce the discussion on urban landscape as an open process for action. But, how do we design a new urban space employing these design tools? So far the discussion on the design and form of the city placed emphasis on the creation of a communication platform that functions either through the development of interpersonal and interactive relationships of the users, or as an entity for configuring and displaying visual messages and communication to society. The term “smart city”, has been linked with digital applications, sensors, and software to produce the city of the future. However, the real challenge is to develop a “smart city,” that starts from the city of today and enables the combination of these smart practices by activating infrastructure that may reform the spatial structure of the urban morphology. This paper will introduce a “reformer,” the natural landscape, based on which a new methodological approach shall be established, in order to manage the urban landscape. This will help create a “smarter city,” which may find applications in various fields that start from today's city, instead of trying to compose an ideal image of the city of tomorrow, that can bridge the gap between digital, natural and urban environment. The main theme of this paper is part of the extended scope of Landscape Urbanism, according to which the urban landscape can be redefined / designed through the remedial procedures of the urban landscape.