Since some years, the city of Turin has been swept up in an extensive, decisive period of far-reaching transformation of its urban system against the backdrop of a constantly-evolving economic-social scenario. The underlying conditions of this urban transformation program, defined initially in the Town Master Plan drafted in the 80's, coincided with Turin's transition from a hub of the mechanical-automotive industry to a city seeking a new economic-production role. However, in the last few months, what was presumed to be a gradual change has encountered an unexpected stumbling block. The current, unforeseen vicissitudes affecting the automotive sector (FIAT) lead to what can only be described as pessimistic conclusions, making it necessary to identify different forms of equilibrium able to restore the synergies that have been temporarily interrupted.

Plans for the physical transformation of the city must take into account the worsening of the crisis, heightening the urgent need to identify unprecedented strategies able to facilitate this transformation.

The 2006 Winter Olympic Games will offer further occasions of growth and employment for the city and the surrounding area. The program of the Olympic sites is an integral aspect of the urban development and reorganization project envisaged by town planning instruments and Municipal Council plans.

For this event, both the ice sports facilities and also the villages that will host the athletes and representatives of the press from all over the world will be located in Turin. The tourists who will flock to the city during the weeks of the Games will also be provided with accommodation and a range of cultural events.

The city is active on many fronts and the program of the Olympic facilities has been drawn up taking into account various factors. Major attention has been dedicated to the location of the sites in the city, to how these will be re-used after the Games and the role of the new Olympic installations in the above-mentioned process of economic-social and urban development. In particular, various Olympic systems will be housed in existing structures and some of these will continue to be used as sports facilities while others will resume their current role. However, the post-Olympic functions of all the new facilities or sites have been defined.

Furthermore, the aim of guaranteeing top quality urban and architectural results in relation to the context of the city represents the keystone of a program based on coherent design.

From this point of view, the Olympic event will revolve not only around the Games but can already be considered a powerful driving force, accelerating the changes already established by the city's Master Plan. The creation of new spaces and services that will continue to be an asset for city after the Olympic event, with a flywheel effect on future growth, will be of strategic importance.

In the meantime, the city continues to implement the purposes of the Master Plan that considers the crossing railway Line ("Passante") as the project that has laid the bases and established the necessary conditions to trigger a process of urban transformation.

Since the end of the 90's, the Railways have invested heavily in reorganizing the railway junction, modifying the existing system to a crossing system that envisages lowering of the level of the track, the construction of new stations and of a slab above the railway cutting. An avenue cutting throughout the center of the city in a longitudinal direction, rather like a "backbone" and which has therefore been dubbed "Spina Centrale" (central axis) will be built on the area covering the railway.

The new set-up of the city railway network - twelve kilometers of tracks of which seven underground - has already been completed between the Lingotto station (to the south) and that of Porta Susa (towards the center). Work is currently underway on the stretch between the Porta Susa and Dora stations (towards the North) which will be completed in time for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, while the last section, between the Dora and Stura stations (North) is due for completion in 2008-2009.

The new set-up also envisages the construction of new railway stations and, as for other major operations carried out in the past and in line with its purpose of assuring architectural quality, the Railways have launched a design competition for the construction of the new Porta Susa station. The winning project is characterized by a large gallery representing a natural extension of the porticoes of Turin. As regards technological-functional aspects, very interesting solutions have been adopted to promote interchange with other public transport systems including Line 1 of the Subway (now under construction). In addition to spaces reserved for travelers (including services, facilities of public utility and cultural entertainment, restoration and shopping), a multi-floor building is also planned to be used as offices and hotel. The new station, on a layout of around 400 meters, will play a strategic role in urban connections as it will become the main station of the city. Implementation of the Lingotto station (to the south) will result in significant modification of rail transport organization into a crossing system.

Subsequently, the current role, as terminal, of the present main station of Turin -Porta Nuova- in the heart of the city - will be modified, reducing the number of tracks. The building of the station, of considerable architectural worth, will be valorized and will host new functions. These far-reaching changes, which will involve the entire railway section connected to the station towards the south, will constitute one of the main urban transformation projects in the next few years.

According to the Town Master Plan, the abandoned industrial sites along the crossing Line ("Passante") – more than two million square meters - represent strategic areas where the main means of access will be the new stations and the large avenue on the surface. Important roles and functions have been attributed to these areas (University campus, centers of cultural excellence and of advanced production facilities, etc.) that will also constitute major distinguishing elements of the urban context as regards the environment, architecture and culture. In addition to the "Spina" avenue and the new road infrastructure, the remodeled urban landscape will also be characterized by large public spaces intended for parks and gardens or squares which will be restored to the city and its citizens, reconnecting parts of the city that have been severed for some time.

The 450,000 sq. m Dora Park on the banks of the river Dora in a zone that comprises the largest area of derelict industrial sites (a million sq. m) of the Spina Centrale (central axis) located to the north of the city represents one of the most important projects of the new configuration of the city.

The setting up of the Park is particularly important as it will be located in an area that has always been the hub of many of Fiat's steel-making activities. During re-conversion, particular attention will be dedicated to reclamation, demolition and to the geo-morphology of the area. The zone reserved for the Park stems from the building and infrastructure projects undertaken as part of the urban transformation of the abandoned industrial site and also, obviously, from the natural, more or less anthropized aspect of the area. When industrial activities were abandoned, the space concerned, now under transformation, was occupied almost entirely by production system and the areas not built on were completely impermeable.

These characteristics highlight various aspects that, apparently, do not lend themselves to re-naturalization of such a heavily degraded environment. This was the challenge to be met: identify new ways of designing a park or landscaped area. The methodological approach proposed to achieve this goal is based on the closely-knit cooperation of the town planner and of the landscape architect with the contribution of other experts specialized in the sector, such as botanists, agrarians, hydraulic engineers, experts in environmental reclamation and in urban furnishings including lighting.

This integrated system of design has generated a new way of working and of designing urban space, able to provide an interesting methodological contribution to consolidated practice as regards the design of public spaces and landscaped areas, with particular regard to areas downgraded by pre-existing industrial plants.

Residents, who will thus be able to re-appropriate these spaces considered until now only as places of work, will be personally involved in the resulting, constantly evolving urban scenario. For all the other citizens, these areas, not exploited in the past, will become new spaces of relationship and meeting, establishing the conditions to define a new way of living in the city.