Territorial variety as an antifragile resource: the Italian case

This chapter discusses the reasons why the fragility of cities and regions is often the outcome of infrastructure developments and actions on the materiality of fixed social capital. The fragility affecting infrastructure development shows the following recurring features: uniformity, i.e. the result of a sectoral approach that proceeds through acontextual and undifferentiated methods and design; and singularity, i.e. the uncritical combination of standard small interventions with large infrastructural projects. Based on these features, we investigate some illustrative examples from the construction of mobility, hydraulics, and energy infrastructures, by discussing the possible moves, patterns and actions to carry out against the recent trends of expansionary initiatives, which in spite of their initial intentions, end up reiterating the same criticalities of traditional intervention strategies.