UNISCAPE is a European Network of Universities dedicated to landscape studies and education according to the principles of the European Landscape Convention (Florence, 2000). It was created in Florence in January 2008 as a result of the joint initiative of 23 European Universities. Founding members of UNISCAPE are 42 universities from Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Belgium, Slovakia and France.
Currently the Network is composed of 56 Universities members from 15 European Countries and 2 private Foundations promoting landscape studies and research.
The aim of UNISCAPE is to support and reinforce scientific interdisciplinary co-operation among European universities regarding landscape issues, especially in the areas of research and teaching. UNISCAPE promotes the principles and the objectives of the European Landscape Convention. Concerning research activities, UNISCAPE promotes study and experimentation activities relating to landscapes, their evolution and transformations.
UNISCAPE encourages and assists its members to provide each other technical and scientific assistance in landscape matters through exchange of experience and the results of research projects; to promote the exchange of landscape specialists, in particular for training and information purposes; to exchange information on all matters covered by the European Landscape Convention requirements.
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the European Landscape Convention in 2010, UNISCAPE organised the international scientific conference Living Landscape, (Florence, 18-19 October 2010) and a Master Class in Landscape Research (European University Institute of Florence, 21-23 October 2010). In the same year UNISCAPE launched the first edition of the international photo competition People’s Landscapes and published Landscape as a project. A survey of views amongst UNISCAPE members in reaction to a position paper by Franco Zagari.
UNISCAPE also took the initiative to continue the ATLAS project. ATLAS established a database with a good overview of the current educational provision in the area of landscape, land use and sustainability impact assessment at different educational levels throughout Europe.
UNISCAPE and Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-La Villette organised the international conference”Landscape and Imagination. Towards a new baseline for education in a changing world” which was hold in Paris 2-4 May 2013. The aim of this conference was to discuss the contribution that education and training in landscape science can make to governance of a world in transition.
UNISCAPE launched the Careggi Seminars (2011-2014) and the results are published in I Quaderni di Careggi: ISSN 2281-3195.
Starting from Fall 2014 a new series of international seminars was launched, called UNISCAPE EN-Route
UNISCAPE promotes landscape awareness amongst students with the International Photo Competition People’s Landscapes that has reached its 5th edition in 2015 and that every year has a participation of 300 students from all Europe. In 2016 People’s Landscapes turned into a short VIDEO Contest, in which participants are encouraged to use dynamic media as a tool to communicate the evolution of landscapes and the life force within them.
UNISCAPE has cooperated with the other Networks already working for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention: RECEP-ENELC, the Network of Local and Regional Authorities, and CIVILSCAPE (www.civilscape.eu), NGOs for the European Landscape Convention, forming the European Landscape Network.
UNISCAPE has been granted participatory status with the Council of Europe as from 28 December 2009. This reinforces the image and the position of UNISCAPE in the European context.
UNISCAPE’s legal Headquarters are located in Florence – Palazzo San Clemente – via Micheli, 2.