From VALLEY to FIELD: A Learning Journey at LAND

Conceived as a space for internal learning and exchange, the series invited LANDlers to explore the transformation of agrarian landscapes through the lenses of design, ecology, and collaboration.

More than a sequence of events, From VALLEY to FIELD was a call to reflect, reconnect, and rethink how we interact with the living systems that surround us.

Filippo Lafleur is a landscape planner and urbanist with over 10 years of experience in ecological transition and biodiversity strategies. He recently completed a joint PhD between Politecnico di Milano and TU Delft, presenting SuperValley — a visionary project for regenerating agrarian landscapes across the Alpine–Padano–Adriatic region.

“From VALLEY to FIELD”

Valley: The series opened with Filippo Lafleur’s PhD presentation “Valley – SuperValley: A Project of Transition”. Through mapping, scenario-building, and ecological reasoning, he introduced a spatial vision for regenerating agricultural land across the Po Valley and beyond. Central to this vision is the valley as a unit of cooperation — where flows of water, energy, and value shape new alliances between nature, policy, and people.

Site: The series continued with guest speaker Adriano Ravasio, agronomist and advisor at Symbiosi. He shared the transformation of a rural area south of Milan into a thriving example of nature-based regeneration. By integrating biodiversity, circular farming, and habitat conservation, the project showed how degraded land can once again become productive — ecologically and economically.

Field: The final event brought LANDlers to Soulfood Forestfarms Hub Italia. In this peri-urban site just outside Milan, participants explored a real-life agroforestry system that applies regenerative agriculture in practice. Among the trees and crops, theory met soil — and the future of landscape design felt not only possible, but already growing.

This journey has taken LANDlers from academic vision to living soil, from discussion to discovery. It’s a reminder that the future of landscape is written not only through grand plans, but through everyday encounters between people, place, and the choices we make together.

We’re proud to share that Filippo Lafleur has been awarded the 1st Prize at City’Scape Awards 2025 in the category Q – Research on Landscape Design. His project, SuperValley, was selected for its ambitious, multi-scalar strategy to regenerate Italy’s agricultural landscapes.

This recognition is not only a well-deserved achievement for Filippo, but also a meaningful moment for our entire community — a chance to celebrate the value of research, vision, and long-term thinking. Bringing this milestone into our shared space means giving voice to the ideas and practices that are already shaping the landscapes of tomorrow.