A GIS-Based Model for the Enhancement of Rural Landscapes: The Case Study of Valdera—Tuscany (Italy)

Complexity in planning and programming applied to rural landscape and territories was increased by the new approach of the European Landscape Convention and the growing awareness on the role of rural landscapes in providing Ecosystem Services. While the scientific debate is still going on, one of the main challenges is how to operationalize the new attitude and knowledge about the role played by landscape in general, and not only by historical and high valued landscapes. New instruments are needed to maintain and enhance everyday landscape taking into account that it is a living and evolving system. These instruments ask for multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches based on a holistic knowledge system. GIS techniques allow taking into account both spatial distribution of elements/information and their physical relations, which are paramount for the analysis of interventions about landscape. This chapter presents an expedite model for identifying policy actions aiming to protect, maintain and manage rural territories. The model has been tested on a case-study area located in Tuscany (Italy), and it identifies a set of spatialized indicators, for which it is possible to compute a cardinal or ordinal value, to be used to individuate suitable actions. While the case-study analysis is necessarily bounded by rules stated by the Tuscan administration and by the context within it was developed, the philosophy underpinning the proposed methodology may well be extended to other territories and countries. Results show that it is possible to provide simplified operative tools able to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of territorial governance.