Una galleria di ritratti dell'Italia post-metropolitana

The Research Project of Relevant National Interest "Post-metro-politan territories as emerging urban forms: sustainability, hab-itability and governability challenges" is based on a double interest: to contribute towards the international debate on urban changes and new urban theories, and to defne the Italian case exploring limits and potentialities of the 'post-metropolis' concept formulated between 2000 and 2011 by Edward Soja. The contribution introduces nine essays on specifc themes and territories, and outlines the theoretical-disciplinary framework of reference and the general aims of the research. In conclusion, it mentions the main results of the various urban 'portraits that describe the partiality and differentiation with which the territories of urban Italy fall within a 'post-metropolitan' horizon.