Geomorphological classification of the landscape in urban areas: anthropogenic landforms in Genoa, Rome and Perugia

Abstract

Research in urban geomorphology is a relatively recent topic and its theory and practice require continuous updates. Few studies have focussed on issues specifically connected with the cartographic representation of geomorphological processes and landforms in urban environments, with the aim of tentatively reconstruct and clarify the original physical landscape. Among these, recent urban geomorphological surveys conducted in Italian cities proposed new strategies for detecting and mapping human induced modifications to the topography, and anthropogenic landform classification has been recently deepened in the revised Italian national guidelines for geomorphological mapping (Campobasso et al., 2018), proposed by the Working Groups of the Italian Association of Physical Geography and Geomorphology (AIGeo) and the Italian Institute for the Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA). In this work, natural landforms modified by man and artificial landforms are explored and compared in three Italian cities: Rome, Genoa and Perugia. The comparison is interesting because of the different morphogenetic environment characterizing the 3 cities and also for the differences in the geomorphological survey and mapping. At the same time, in these urban areas, human activities have similarly remodelled the topographic surface and become the most important modelling agent of relief. Many reliefs have been erased, whereas thick layers of anthropogenic deposits covered most of the natural landforms, with the result, for example, of hiding or greatly modifying the natural valley incisions. Geomorphological studies in urban environments allow the reconstruction of the physical landscape before human modifications and the implementation of innovative methodological tools, and an effective legend to represent the urban landforms and their evolution over time.