The Impact on The Landscape: Large Infrastructure Construction Sites as Opportunities for Territorial Cohesion

The research presented, still in development, is part of a project called Sew-Line, coordinated by the University of Padua, along with the University of Bergamo and the University of Rome Sapienza. The Sew-Line project aims to identify a holistic methodology for the design of large linear infrastructures in agricultural and peri-urban landscapes. Large infrastructures deeply influence landscape perception, often appearing disconnected from the landscape, as if they had been placed there without establishing any relationship with it. The study in question concerns one of the case studies of the Sew-Line project: the high-speed/highcapacity line under construction between Verona and Montebello Vicentino1 . The 44 km stretch between Verona Porta Vescovo and Montebello Vicentino, construction of which began in 2020, traverses an already critical landscape marked by the presence of other transport infrastructures such as the A4 motorway, the historic Milan-Venice railway line, and the Porcilana road. The landscape crossed, characterized by pronounced fragmentation, retains a clear agricultural vocation. The initiated research focuses on the impact of construction sites on this type of landscape. Construction sites are a strongly impactful feature on landscape perception, configuring themselves as marginal, transitional spaces. Their activities have a significant impact from both environmental and social perspectives. Despite their temporary nature, they play a crucial role concerning land consumption, soil quality loss, landscape perception, and residents' quality of life. The ongoing study aims to develop a design methodology that can leverage the potential for territorial change inherent in construction sites, transforming them from a line of disruption to a line of conversion.