Drinkscape: A design-based approach for the valorization of tea landscapes in Japan

Yubune 湯船 area in Uji 宇治, Japan, and Langhe-Roero-Monferrato area (UNESCO World Heritage) in Italy are recognized for the production of tea and Wine respectively, these two places stand out for the landscapes. The plantations of tea and wine produce wonderful landscape that tells us a history that comes from behind, with a lot of tradition and culture. The Japanese area Yubune, is located between two ancient capitals, Kyoto 京都、 and Nara 奈良. Green Tea is now ubiquitous and it is the most common beverage and an important part of Japanese food culture. On the other hand, Langhe-Roero-Monferrato area is located in Piedmont between Torino and Milano; this area evokes culture and art, history is present everywhere, from ancient Roman time up to modern art, passing throw XVIII Century when Piedmont was the heart of Savoy Kingdom throw these days. 0.2 After introducing the major features of the sites, this thesis aim is to study the main concepts of the Japanese parcels and the current dynamics of urban transformation that can be recognized and reused. The goal is to create a manual that recreates new forms of urbanization and can interpret the historical condition of Yubune 湯船 and recognize the impact that the housing plots had in the past. It consequently reveals how we can work with them to propose a new urban mixture taking into account the historical context and seeking the benefit for the people and their economy. The propose of this manual is to regenerate the village in order to encourage people to visit the tea plantations and get to know the importance of this production processes; as first step we decided to develop a system of reinterpretation of spaces in an urban and suburban scale in the village of Yubune 湯船, in order to create norms and codes. They become planning tools to intervent in the village in some specific scenarios always respecting the heritage; the scope of the manual is limited to the interpretation and assessment of dynamics and elements for an urban scale.