The Oltrepò Mantovano is a lowland territory with a polycentric settlement structure, where small and medium-sized towns, agricultural activities, production systems and infrastructure coexist within a profoundly transformed landscape. Recognised as an inner area of the Lombardy Region, it challenges conventional distinctions between town and countryside, urban and rural, centre and periphery.

Here, rapid and often contested economic, environmental and spatial transformations affect territorial quality, local economies and everyday living conditions. Growing pressure to develop ground-mounted photovoltaic installations, the presence of intensive livestock farming, the expansion of logistics activities and the potential establishment of data centres pose new challenges for local authorities. Because these developments frequently extend beyond municipal boundaries, they call for shared tools for analysis and governance at the inter-municipal scale.

Developed within CRAFT – Competence Centre for Anti-Fragile Territories, the collaboration between the Consorzio Oltrepò Mantovano and the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies (DAStU) at Politecnico di Milano supports local administrations in building a shared interpretation of ongoing territorial change and defining common guidelines to inform spatial planning decisions.

Building on previous research in the Oltrepò Mantovano and the lower Po Valley, the project combines knowledge production, institutional dialogue and training. The aim is not simply to produce a technical guidance document, but to establish a process of mutual learning among local administrations, strengthening their expertise and capacity to act. In this respect, the project puts CRAFT’s approach to territorial anti-fragility into practice, fostering cooperation and shared tools to address complex transformations.

The work unfolds in three phases: developing analytical and interpretative frameworks through multiscalar mapping, analysis of ongoing changes and information gathering with municipalities; organising training sessions and thematic workshops with local officials, technical staff and experts to discuss and refine shared planning directions; and preparing a final set of territorial guidelines to serve as a common reference for the Consortium and participating municipalities, including their possible incorporation into municipal spatial plans (Piani di Governo del Territorio).

The collaboration therefore aims to strengthen local administrations’ capacity to guide territorial change through shared knowledge, planning tools and more integrated and coordinated forms of governance.