The territorial frames. A new integration model for local development.

The topic of local development, and in particular of its spatial components, nowadays seems to have become secondary in the planner's agenda. The phenomenon of metropolisation has in fact assumed dimensions not foreseen by planning, which, despite the continuity and homogeneity of the processes, has almost completely outclassed that of territorialization. With respect to this, traditional planning has not elaborated instruments capable of interpreting and governing the processes of meta-formation of the territory and of landscapes. An attempt was made by a research of the University of L'Aquila which used an original model of interpretation and governance of the spatial development processes called “Territorial Frames” (TFs), that deals with some issues related to the development of the European space and its territories, with particular reference to equity development, balance of resources, efficiency of settlement and mobility systems and integration of strategies and projects between different regions. These are issues that do not seem to be resolved only by the polycentric model referred to the European policies. The research presented is developed in three phases: (1) the definition of TFs at different scales, European, national and local; (2) the integration of the TFs model with the macroregional one at european and national scales; (3) the application at regional/local scale of the integrated TFs for new cross-scale development processes. This article presents the first results of this phases, with a local case and particular reference to the TFs of the inner areas of central Italy.