Street Architecture: l’infrastruttura come spazio della città e del paesaggio

In Italy during the ‘60s the construction of public works such as roads and infrastructural networks created fast and safe connections among places, building a new system of relations, superimposed on the landscape, that over time has changed through these new works. Today, with the transformations affecting the transport system, there is an increasing need to talk about the role and sense that infrastructures - old and new – take on within cities. The sudden collapse of part of the Polcevera Viaduct designed by Riccardo Morandi, that occurred in Genoa in 2018, tragically reminded us that the existing infrastructures need constant overhaul with conscientious replacements of parts and in some cases that it is necessary to give them up if they no longer guarantee safety criteria. The demolition of infrastructures is often seen as the fastest and most useful solution. However, there are also opinions opposing the demolition tout court that trust in the possibility of reuse and creative transformation for new spaces within the city. This paper analyzes the role of infrastructure within the contemporary city, showing its character as a machine for reading and knowledge of the landscape and its role in the development of studies and experimentations on the construction of perceptual experiences within the architectural project. Infrastructures, and in particular roads and paths, are no longer observed exclusively from a technical point of view but rather as spaces in the city that need new interpretations in order to respond to the growing demand for alternative mobility and related public spaces.