The Department for the Environment, Networks and the Territory (DART - Dipartimento Ambiente Reti Territorio) was constituted in connection with DAU (Department for Architectural Urban Planning - Dipartimento Architettura Urbanistica) and was supported by the academic staff of the architectural design unit with the objective of developing joint research on planning, with particular attention to the qualitative aspects of its fusion with urban and territorial transformations. The notion of planning is fundamental to the Department. The initial interest in the physical characteristics of projects, plans and the interpretation of the various types of contemporary settlements have more recently moved their attention towards issues relating to the environment, the landscape, infrastructures and public works; these latter issues are considered to be fundamental to the plan of the territory. A plan of the territory is in actual fact an interconnection of the settlement, environmental, production and infrastructure networks which need to be interpreted on the one hand in the light of their functioning and development, and on the other in terms of planning and design so that these various components integrate at a functional and qualitative level. Reading the territory goes hand in hand with the study of local development models and an analysis of the institutional and social networks. This trend indicates that planning and design is determined by economic, social and administrative feasibility evaluations of proposals. In the search for a new shape to give to the urban and territorial plan a central role has been assigned to infrastructure and environmental networks. The latter are also dealt with in reference to issues concerning the innovation of administrative and procedural means for intervention, so as to overcome current problems of disciplinary and operative sectorialization. The Department offers consultancy services to central administration bodies (the Ministry for Infrastructures and Transport, the Ministry for Finance, the Ministry for the Environment, and also the ministries dealing with cultural activities) and local bodies (the Regions, Provinces, Municipalities) as well as professional and entrepreneurial associations. The main areas of research which the Department is currently involved in are the following: the shape of the territory, urban planning, infrastructures and networks, the environment, landscape and innovative urban instruments.

by Rosario Pavia (Dart director)