BackgroundHuntington's disease (HD) is a fatal inherited neurodegenerative disease, caused by a

Technological research for the exploitation of marine energy has produced significant advances which promise to expedite the process of transitioning to renewable resources. However, many issues hinder the effective exploitation of marine energy: among these are cultural concerns regarding the visual impacts of these technologies used. Assuming that “protecting” means preserving without banning evolutive changes, seascape protection and ecological transition are not alternatives because both converge toward sustainability. Even so, scientific concepts, technical practices, social perceptions, and the decisions and actions associated with them raise contradictions and conflicts. Within the complex challenge of ecological transition, clean energy availability arises as a necessary and imperative condition. This article proposes a critical landscape design perspective which focuses on the importance of understanding and expressing contemporaneity through the changes it brings to habitats and life. A focus on the visual impact of marine wind turbine is proposed as an example for a general discussion on technical and social perceptions in a context of both cultural and spatial transition. Site-specific critical visions have to be imagined and discussed to produce not business as usual transformations. This article aims to show that decisions predominantly influenced by issues of visual impact do not adequately express the cultural dimension of ecological transition.

In the second half of the twentieth century urban landscapes were affected by heavy infrastructural development. With regard to streets, managing the growing fluidity and speed of motor vehicle flows has been a priority for most designers. Nowadays there are multiple driving forces behind a transition that could accommodate different uses within the streets, primarily the cultural, social and economic exchanges that streets faciliated in the past but that have been lost over time. In the spreading practice called “shared street” most signage and traffic lights can be removed to permit the self-regulated and spontaneous circulation of all users and vehicles. This paradigm is discussed with regard to its potential to strengthen urban landscape identity, ensuring accessibility, redefining uses and practices within the street, reducing injuries and misbehaviour, and offering real and perceived safety to all users. “Back to the street” is an ongoing design research project dealing with integration strategies for different kinds of urban streetscapes. Which design features are necessary to encourage a change in attitude, speed and hierarchy for street users? How can these features positively affect urban landscapes in general and the liveability of streets first and foremost? The research attempts to answer these questions by considering street design as a means of triggering the effective enhancement of urban public spaces. The paper is based on the case study of Via San Paolo in Prato (Tuscany) and presents a set of quality requirements for street design such as plant integration, water drainage, and comfortable paths for both cyclists and pedestrians. As the design for separate flows cannot fulfill all the quality features in Via San Paolo, mostly due to its varying width, it is assumed that the “shared street” can replace it in order to enhance community life within the streets while promoting local sustainable mobility. The research examines two options: sharing the street in narrow stretches or along its whole length. A preliminary comparison is proposed to discuss the earlier research outcomes.

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