La strada della valle: Towards an alternative strategic framework for the regeneration of the valleys Impero and Prino in the province of Imperia, Liguria, Italy

To grow a phenomenon of the globalized world. To prosper and to have a booming economy is a main goal of cities and their regions. But what about those regions which are badly connected because of their morphology? What about those which originated in the industrialization period and have not had the possibility to change?What is about those areas that no longer fit into the current economic framework?Land abandonment and depopulation is a consequence of different factors. A phenomenon that not only has an impact on the environment and the socio-economic aspects but also has consequences for the landscape itself. (Lasanta et al. / Catena 149 (2017): 810). “Baldock et al. (1996) conclude that marginalization and land abandonment depend on the interaction between physical, environmental and socioeconomic factors. Therefore, it can happen everywhere, even in areas with a very high potential and in favourable socioeconomic situations in general.” (Lasanta et al. / Catena 149 (2017): 816).So, what is the reason of land abandonment in Liguria? Is it the aging population and its population decline or the change of economy? Or is it because of the location itself, being a territory of transit? What are the internal and what the external reasons (Lasanta et al. / Catena 149 (2017): 816) for this ongoing abandonment?In this thesis, the values of the rural and the ‘unreachable’ countryside are gathered. In addition, they are used for a new model of development which focuses on cooperation between remote rural villages and the coastal cities. By linking spatial, social qualities, structures, and characteristics through the entity of the valley the author gives a new image to the countryside which valorises and shows by two small design proposals a new planning approach