Logistica e paesaggi del commercio online: un’apertura ad un tema complesso

Logistics and landscapes of online commerce: a look at a complex theme This issue of ‘Trasporti & Cultura’, dedicated to the landscapes of logistics and online commerce, addresses the new scenarios and, in some ways, the new urban and architectural paradigms that are emerging as a result of the massive increase in online commerce in recent years. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic exponentially accelerated the process of virtualizing commerce that began with the rise of large online brands such as Amazon, Ebay, Aliexpress, etc. Within this framework, the relationship between the production and circulation of goods represents one of the emerging issues in the governance of the new territorial configurations generated by the new logistics zones serving e-commerce, characterised by the absence of an urban planning and strategic orientation framework. The growth of online commerce has, in many respects, altered the contemporary urban landscape, with large warehouses acting as the epicentre for areas that are otherwise marginal or chosen precisely for the absence of large city centres or places of interest or conservation. What is the future of such complexes? Are they destined to remain mere warehouses or are they susceptible to typological (or architectural) transformations that could lead to unprecedented city models? This issue attempts to answer these and other questions, such as the architectural and visual languages conveyed by the logistics landscape, through examples and case studies.