The paper investigates a particular phenomenon of the industrialization of Southern Italy, starting from the second post-war period, and, in particular, the unsolved relationship between some large industrial areas and the territories of the medium and small cities on which such productive “plates” have been installed. The town planning policies and instruments with which the industrialization of Southern Italy was planned, on the contrary, foresaw a strong integration between urban fabric and industrial agglomerations. Through the case study of the province of Caserta, the research illustrated by the paper investigates, first of all, the policies that supported this process of industrialization and what the territorial effects of this phenomenon were. Next, the paper illustrates the method of knowledge and mapping of the territory of the case study of the industrial development area of Caserta. The data will be collected in a GIS platform that will return the following condition that is nowadays not available: analytical maps of the brownfield areas and the identification of the areas still intact, agricultural or green areas, urban areas and infrastructures, which trace a cognitive framework addressed to the project in which it will possible to experiment some possible eco-innovative and nature-based solutions.

The paper aims at providing a methodological path to improve local communities’ ability to re-discover the value of their local, natural, and cultural capital, and outline shared strategies for its enhancement. The defined methodological path, addressed to knowledge co-creation and co-design of visions and strategies for future development, has been tested on selected case studies in Southern Italy, both of them characterised by high levels of marginality. Preserving local identities and increasing the sense of belonging of communities to their living places are, indeed, crucial for ensuring a sustainable and shared development process in marginal areas.

Peri-urban is an intermediate land. On the one hand, its hybrid nature makes it particularly vulnerable to speculation, indiscriminate use of soil resources, erosion of agricultural residues, and so on; on the other hand, it is difficult to control through planning instruments and policies. Starting from this background, the chapter will investigate the territories of the large Campania Plain, in the South of Italy, between Naples and Caserta. Until the middle of twentieth century, this territory was known as Campania Felix due to its agricultural vocation. Subsequently, a series of development policies and a misinterpreted concept of valorization and modernization of the territory have changed its characteristics and identity, giving many parts of it to disorder: industrial settlements, plants, logistics, landfills, and large infrastructures that clash with the residential, agricultural, or residual areas and in-between natural ones. In this context, the chapter summarizes the first results of a research project that aims to rethink the role of the large Industrial Development Areas, established in the peri-urban contexts of the plain in the province of Caserta, in Italy.

The worsening of climatic, environmental and socio-economic crises highlights the urgent need to develop innovative approaches for territorial governance, promoting public policies and urban planning strategies capable of responding to the direct and indirect threats associated with these phenomena. Territories are exposed not only to declared risks but also to latent risks, characterized by dynamic evolution and not always evident. Managing such challenges requires a kind of planning which embraces a paradigm of radical transformation and adaptation. The concept of ‘territorial malleability’ proves particularly fertile in this context. This contribution aims to explore the implications of such theories, in particular in the territory between Marcianise and Caivano. This fragment of territory has been the subject of design experiments carried out within the Urban Planning Laboratory at the Department of Architecture and Industrial Design at the University of Campania L. Vanvitelli.