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duction and in achieving the independence from non-renewable resources. The
Enerscapes project addressed this problem by analysing the obstacles to RES
development, due to the legal framework, inefficient processes in the local gov-
ernance, low levels of local awareness, lack of technologies.
Another problem is the sectorial approach, very frequent in the Mediterranean
planning tradition. Energy is in fact usually addressed within sectorial policies,
both at national, regional and local level, without proper consideration of envi-
ronmental and social issues.
Starting from these premises, the comparison among different local contexts
supported the identification of different types of obstacle and the elaboration
of solutions on the ground of the partners’ experiences. The strategic approach
was necessary for evaluating the quantity and quality of the impact related to the
installation of RES systems.
An improvement of procedures would lead to a greater attention towards the
landscape factor, making it more relevant within the process of planning and lo-
cating plants. Besides the introduction of an effective cost-benefit analysis with
regard to the RES plant installation, it will also reduce mistakes in the phase of
the environmental impact assessment.
As regards landscape, Enerscapes put at the centre the idea that whenever RES
are involved, landscapes need to be previously “referred to” as visible and sen-
sitive expressions of environmental fragility. They have to be considered as “re-
ception frames” for any transformation, which, according to the European Land-
scape Convention focuses on “the aspirations of the public with regard to the
landscape features of their surroundings”. This approach marks a fundamental
step towards the acknowledgement of “everyday” landscapes, both in material
and symbolic terms.
According to current experiences in participative planning, communication
about landscape and environmental issues is being brought outside the inner
