1. Introduction: Innovative Reflections on Land Take

Since the 1980s, land take and, later, its ecological concerns have become an integral part of European planning and design debates. Due mainly to the acknowledgement that the world population is estimated to be above all urban, the literature is still passionate, recognising a place of honour to the rapid urbanisation process. Currently, the urbanisation process is associated with global urban challenges (climate change, biodiversity preservation and soil artificialisation). In this regard, this chapter lays the groundwork for the overall argument, discussing some key points: the evidence of a changed status of traditional historical cities, caused by the rapid urbanisation process, and the continuous emergence and mainstreaming of ecological paradigms, as one of the main challenges for current planning and design approaches. To this end, the book aims to develop a new approach to land take, proposing a turnabout: cities are still central to deal with global challenges, but the starting point of planning and design is represented by natural, ecological and landscape elements. In the end, the book proposes some potential perspectives that are substantial to sustainable and resilient cities.