Figuring the features of the Roman Campagna: recent landscape structural transformations of Rome’s countryside

Abstract

This paper quantified the impact of urban expansion on landscape characteristics of a famous landscape icon, the Roman Campagna, during the last thirty years. Landscape composition and structure were assessed between 1974, when the distinguishing features of Roman Campagna are still widespread and 2008, after the trajectory of urban decentralisation and urban sprawl. Changes in landscape structure were explored by spatial pattern analysis to detect how structural changes in landscape components can modify both land structure and landscape image. Non-parametric correlation statistics and multi factor analysis showed that the distinctive features of the Roman Campagna landscape are now blurred. A generalized landscape mixite was generated by the juxtaposition of different fragmented land uses, as showed by a negative relationship between changes in surface area and patchiness found in almost all other land use classes. Adaptation measures for preserving peri-urban agriculture in a landscape changed in structure and image are finally discussed.