Wild vegetation is encroaching, despite the efforts of planning, into many urban areas and spaces outside cities. The occupation by the wild occurs where human presence withdraws or halts, generating situations of abandonment of a territory previously maintained and lived in. In this sense, these territories (often identified as urban voids or unproductive spaces) have been included in discussions regarding redevelopment and transformation. Thus, these unintentional landscapes can be read as an unauthorized and illicit vegetal occupation – not being a form of greenery envisaged by the plan or project – thereby becoming a non-human subject's unlawful action. For this reason, the reflection revolves around the italian term "abusivo." The exploration of the term has two origins: on the one hand, the comparison with a phenomenon already extensively studied, such as unauthorized construction (abusivismo edilizio); on the other, an etymological reflection of the term capable of inducing contrasting and conflicting attitudes. First, associating the issue with dynamics widely studied on unauthorized construction leads to framing possible drifts: so-called "necessary" unauthorized construction can become "convenience-based" and eventually "speculative." Second, the possibility of delving into the etymology of a term opens paths for a possible redefinition, not so much aimed at erasing current meanings but more at defining new possibilities. Drawing inspiration from the profound philological investigation on which Sigmund Freud's 1919 text "Das Unheimliche" (The Uncanny) is based, it is observed how a term can encompass both something and its opposite. In this perspective, the word "abuso" is considered to have an origin in the meaning "far from use." Thus, in an acrobatic maneuver that does not intend to deprive the term of its meaning of "excessive use," it is observed how the issue of abandonment can be linked in certain terms to the dynamics of unauthorized construction. The contribution considers the term "abuso" useful for a reflection on alternative conceptions of legitimacy and therefore authenticity of the landscape. It suggests a forcing in the interpretation of the term that embraces wild vegetation as a subject capable of playing a role in urban and territorial socio-ecological dynamics, providing a useful counterpoint to the inquisitorial view with which overgrown places are referred to.

La vegetazione selvatica sta occupando, nonostante gli sforzi donchisciotteschi della pianificazione, molte aree urbane e spazi al di fuori delle città. L’occupazione da parte del selvatico avviene laddove la presenza dell’essere umano si ritira o si arresta, generando situazioni di abbandono di un territorio precedentemente mantenuto e vissuto. In questo senso, questi territori (spesso individuati come vuoti urbani o spazi improduttivi) sono stati inclusi all’interno di discorsi riguardanti la riqualificazione e la trasformazione. Così è possibile leggere questi unintentional lanscapes come un’occupazione vegetale non autorizzata e illecita – non essendo una forma di verde prevista dal piano o dal progetto – divenendo così un’azione di tipo abusivo di un soggetto non-umano. Per questo motivo, la riflessione avviene sul termine “abusivo”. L’approfondimento del lemma ha due origini: da un lato, la comparazione con un fenomeno già ampiamente studiato, quale l’abusivismo edilizio; dall’altro, una riflessione etimologica del termine capace di indurre atteggiamenti molto contrastanti e conflittuali. In primo luogo, associare la questione alle dinamiche già ampiamente studiate sull’abusivismo edilizio porta ad inquadrare le possibili derive: l’abusivismo cosiddetto “di necessità” può diventare “di convenienza”, sino ad essere “speculativo”. In secondo luogo, la possibilità di scavare dentro l’etimologia di un termine genera strade per una possibile risignificazione non tanto volta alla cancellazione dei significati correnti, quanto più a definirne nuove possibilità. Ricordando la profonda indagine filologica su cui si basa il testo Das Unheimliche (Il perturbante) di Sigmund Freud del 1919, si osserva come un termine possa includere una cosa e il suo contrario. In quest’ottica si guarda alla parola “abuso”. Si potrebbe dire che il termine abbia un’origine nel significato “lontano dall’uso”. In questo senso, in un volteggio che non intende privare il termine del suo significato di “uso eccessivo”, si osserva come la questione dell’abbandono possa essere legata in certi termini alle dinamiche di abusivismo. Il contributo considera il termine “abuso" utile per una riflessione su concezioni alternative di legittimità e quindi autenticità del paesaggio. Si suggerisce una forzatura nella lettura del termine che accoglie la vegetazione selvatica come soggetto capace di avere un ruolo nelle dinamiche socio-ecologiche urbane e territoriali, fornendo un utile contrappunto alla visione inquisitoria con cui ci si riferisce ai luoghi inselvatichiti.

Lisi, G. (2023). Abusivo. In A. Pastorello (a cura di), Selvario. Guida alle parole della selva (pp. 48-53). Milano : Mimesis.

Abusivo

Lisi, Gloria
2023-11-01

Abstract

Wild vegetation is encroaching, despite the efforts of planning, into many urban areas and spaces outside cities. The occupation by the wild occurs where human presence withdraws or halts, generating situations of abandonment of a territory previously maintained and lived in. In this sense, these territories (often identified as urban voids or unproductive spaces) have been included in discussions regarding redevelopment and transformation. Thus, these unintentional landscapes can be read as an unauthorized and illicit vegetal occupation – not being a form of greenery envisaged by the plan or project – thereby becoming a non-human subject's unlawful action. For this reason, the reflection revolves around the italian term "abusivo." The exploration of the term has two origins: on the one hand, the comparison with a phenomenon already extensively studied, such as unauthorized construction (abusivismo edilizio); on the other, an etymological reflection of the term capable of inducing contrasting and conflicting attitudes. First, associating the issue with dynamics widely studied on unauthorized construction leads to framing possible drifts: so-called "necessary" unauthorized construction can become "convenience-based" and eventually "speculative." Second, the possibility of delving into the etymology of a term opens paths for a possible redefinition, not so much aimed at erasing current meanings but more at defining new possibilities. Drawing inspiration from the profound philological investigation on which Sigmund Freud's 1919 text "Das Unheimliche" (The Uncanny) is based, it is observed how a term can encompass both something and its opposite. In this perspective, the word "abuso" is considered to have an origin in the meaning "far from use." Thus, in an acrobatic maneuver that does not intend to deprive the term of its meaning of "excessive use," it is observed how the issue of abandonment can be linked in certain terms to the dynamics of unauthorized construction. The contribution considers the term "abuso" useful for a reflection on alternative conceptions of legitimacy and therefore authenticity of the landscape. It suggests a forcing in the interpretation of the term that embraces wild vegetation as a subject capable of playing a role in urban and territorial socio-ecological dynamics, providing a useful counterpoint to the inquisitorial view with which overgrown places are referred to.
nov-2023
Lisi, G. (2023). Abusivo. In A. Pastorello (a cura di), Selvario. Guida alle parole della selva (pp. 48-53). Milano : Mimesis.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10447/618314
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