The present study provides a reflection on the agent-based intelligence of urban spatial environments through the comparison of a formal quantitative approach, i.e., space syntax, and a qualitative experimentation based on the spatial cognition approach. Until recently, space syntax was adopted by urban planners and designers to support urban design and planning decisions, based on an analysis of the urban physical environment. Researchers in the cognitive science field have increased their attempts to address space syntax techniques to better understand the relationships of cognitive spatial agents with the spatial features of urban environments. In this context, the experimental approach focuses on the qualities of the environment as interacted, perceived and interpreted by cognitive agents and reflects on the role which it plays in affecting spatial decisions and route choices. The present paper aimed to explore the extent to which possible integration between the different approaches can provide insights on agent-based decisions in actions and behavioural processes in space for useful perspectives in urban analysis and planning. Findings suggest relevant correlations between the experimentation results and space syntax predictions when a correspondence of some aspects can be found. Conversely, interesting qualitative insights from the spatial cognition approach are pointed out to enrich the configurational analysis. The potential and constraints of each approach and the ways of combining these are presented. Evidence supports the suitability of the proposal outlined in the present paper within the framework of urban planning practice.

Shrinkage has increasingly become a “standard pathway” of urban and regional development in many European cities and regions. Shrinking is generally seen in the literature as a negative phenomenon: certain strategies may, however, trigger-off positive effects, such as social networking opportunities, affordable housing, and an increased sense of identity and opportunity change. Focusing on the effects of urban development should be seen as a priority, attempting to seize opportunities for the integration of a range of urban policies, making the most of scarce resources. This paper begins with a short introduction, a sort of “reading guide” clarifying in which steps the document's argument is developed in the following sections; then it presents a theoretical framework with some central questions on strategies for shrinking cities and neighbourhoods, with a short review of the literature. An empirical section follows describing the case of Taranto as a de-industrialized city and the main features of its shrinkage, attempting to understand the effects of regeneration policies and urban planning strategies already put into place to tackle shrinkage at various administrative levels. This is followed by an evaluation of existing theoretical knowledge, comparing key points with the main features of shrinkage in the case of Taranto. This is carried out to contribute to a better understanding of the questions addressed, highlighting various unsolved problems that are then dealt with in the concluding section, as research challenges that remain open-ended.