How are the hinterlands of cities urbanised—that realm which we previously called landscape and which, for this investigation, we now call territory? Territory replaces the notion of landscape inasmuch as it expands the view of the city to include a category of the greater urbanised surroundings.

ETH Studio Basel’s aim of recognising and comprehending the various manifestations of urbanisation that we encountered in our studies became the starting point for our engagement with the notion of territory. We were increasingly confronted with urbanisation processes that were unfolding beyond the realm of agglomerations and urban regions. 

For this book, ETH Studio Basel’s specific research approach was applied to six segments of the globe that are characterised by very different urban conditions: the Nile Valley, a section of Italy ranging from Rome to the Adriatic, Central Florida, the Red River Delta, Muscat and Oman, and Belo Horizonte. We selected large bands of terrestrial surface—each several hundred kilometres in length—that contain a great variety of urban situations: urban centres, peripheral and sparsely populated areas and areas characterised by agriculture. The analysis then singles out a selection of essential elements that also structure the publication: water, agriculture, extraction of mineral resources, industrial production and human settlement.

The studies presented in this book and in the preceding student research projects, show how areas of extended urbanisation can be examined and analysed today, in an exemplary manner. The rich material about six urban territories gathered over the years provides unexpected insights into contemporary urban processes.