Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

City Territory and Architecture

Publication Date

12-1-2026

Abstract

The Third Landscape, theorized by Gilles Clément, represents a residual territorial area, abandoned or not yet used, in which nature reclaims anthropized places. It is a paradigm based on the idea of a marginal, neglected context, but characterized by great intrinsic biodiversity. Starting from this theoretical assumption and supported by a photographic investigation, this study aims to identify some phenomenological characteristics of the Third Landscape in the United Arab Emirates. The scientific contribution will make use, in its dialectical and descriptive development, of reflections by authors such as, among others, Clément, Bauman, Lovelock, D’Angelo, Burkhardt, Augé, and Lynch. Starting from the concept of the Third Landscape as a residual entity, the “Structural Liquid Landscape” will be identified as its morphological-evolutionary reference model. It is based on systemic hybridization born from the imponderable, from what cannot be foreseen within the interactions between nature and the anthropized environment. It is because of osmotic interactions that find refuge along the porous margin. Abandonment, in this case, materializes as potential, which however must deal with the temporariness of the processes themselves. This factor appears even more evident in the analyzed cases of Third Landscape in the UAE. In this regard, emblematic cases will be described, relating to abandoned residential settlements, former production areas and disused quarries present in the territory of the United Arab Emirates. All examples of nature’s active resistance towards the territory exploited and manipulated by mankind.

ISSN

2195-2701

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Volume

13

Issue

1

Disciplines

Architecture

Keywords

Clément, Landscape, Territory, Third Landscape, United Arab Emirates, Urban

Scopus ID

105038403341

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

yes

Open Access Type

Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series

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