Hilltop Settlements - Architecture and landscape II International Conference

The phrase “hilltop settlements” describes the relationship between community and territory, when it comes to populating hilltops and it is also often used to refer to an imaginary ideal of collective construction. Based on this first assumption, this phrase evokes a set of cultural manifestations legible in the different scales of space organisation, from the house to the landscape. In most cases, "hilltop settlements" are densely populated areas, shaped by their natural settings, and liable to frequent change. These house dwellings are often found in landscapes with limited resources, which require the careful management of water, soil and vegetation. The II International Conference on ´Traditional Architecture in the Western Mediterranean´ takes place in Mértola, on 11 and 12 September 2020. The theme this year is hilltop settlements. We look forward to contributions from different disciplines and on diverse geographic locations. We hope that by researching individual case studies, each author will discuss core aspects of the broader scope of the Mediterranean and its shared heritage. We will give preference to studies focused on vernacular structures, but that also consider history of architecture and landscape, in the context of the profound transformations seen in land occupation in the last few decades.