Urban bioregion: the conceptual and design trajectory in the texts of Alberto Magnaghi

Contained within the discussions on contemporary urbanization, critiques of the center-periphery model of the metropolis form, and debates on current environmental challenges, Alberto Magnaghi (1941–2023) proposed a paradigm shift, replacing the regulations that govern contemporary urbanization with a new approach centered around the concept of the urban bioregion. Through an analysis of Magnaghi’s seminal works, this article aims to present the conceptual development of the urban bioregion, both in its theoretical and practical aspects, underscoring its significance within an ecoterritorialist framework and proposing a figurative representation model. Thus, the unifying nature of the urban bioregion is emphasized, since it places equal importance on both humans and nature, while its revolutionary character challenges prevailing economic, political, productive, and habitational logics. Moreover, the article proposes adopting minimal bioregional units to identify urban bioregions, and highlights the reflective, complex, and relational nature of the concept through a figurative representation model.