I luoghi della Belt and Road. Trasformazioni architettoniche e urbane lungo le grandi infrastrutture intercontinentali, viste dall’Italia

The Belt and Road Initiative is being narrated as a major endeavour that can connect continents through the development of infrastructural lines, represented as vectors and arrows in multitudes of maps. Since its announcement in 2013, the Bri is the background against which every act of planning undertaken by the Chinese government is set. It is one multiscalar plan that can accommodate multiple types of development, from new train lines to new cities and logistical platforms. At a closer look, though, the grand narrative of Bri lacks a real spatial dimension and is limited to the scale of the infrastructure. This article tries to look more closely at some of the immediate consequences on the physical space of the cities that are being involved as part of the larger picture. Through eight brief stops and one more extensive case study, we tried to expand on the various possibilities for urban development that the Bri is unfolding throughout Asia and Europe, between Italy and China.