Peri urban agriculture as a new strategy of urban development: a case study in Cenaia, Pisa

Rural-urban interface never vanishes but only slides outwards from the city core as the city grows. This interface, so-called “peri-urban area”, is characterised by “dynamism” and “diversity” as it acts like the place where movements of people, commercial goods and capital take place. As a consequence, peri-urban area becomes the zone of coexistence of rural and urban areas, and constitutes a strong linkage between the two words. The Ecocity project in Cenaia aims to reorganize the expanding urban structure by giving a new identity to the margins of the city. The goal of the project is to valorize the urban fringe through an experimental co-farming/housing habitat and utilize peri-urban agriculture as its principle function. Furthermore the peri-urban area is revitalised by touristic, recreational and commercial activities. The aim of this paper is to point out the role of peri-urban agriculture that offers a symbiosis between urban and rural worlds.