In the second half of the 70's, the growing trend of urban and industrial growth in the city was halted: this was the moment in which the socio-economic crisis of the factory-city model became evident. Various important factories began to close down, leaving a huge area empty which had been previously been dedicated to production in central parts of the city.

The suspension of production at the Lingotto plant in 1982 marked a turning point for Turin, as one 'work door' closed but another opened in the city. The reallocation of industrial sites would continue for twenty years and preempted in many senses the numerous ways of rethinking the identity of the city.

From the early 90's, the bases were laid for the creation of tools to define a new concept of urban development. Turin began to be viewed as a potentially European city, competitive and innovative with a focus on know-how and knowledge as the new economy in order to recover its cultural and social identity as it became truly redefined through its simultaneous physical transformation.

The GMRP is one of the tools which has most closely accompanied the post-Fordist transformation of the city, by redefining its physical aspects. Some key strategies are adopted � the renovation of the historic centre, the redevelopment of old industrial areas and infrastructure reorganization � as well as some significant design strategies (the Spina Centrale, corso Marche and the Po riverside).

Dal 1998 a Torino si lavora sulla costruzione del Piano strategico, un programma nel quale si fissano gli obiettivi di sviluppo per il futuro e si indicano i mezzi, gli strumenti e le azioni per raggiungerli nel tempo. Giunto ormai alla sua terza edizione, il Piano Strategico ha operato aggregando gli attori locali nella costruzione di visioni ed interpretazioni condivise del cambiamento.

Cambiano i modi e le forme dell'azione di trasformazione della citt�, e a partire dalla fine degli anni 90 si avvia l'esperienza dei Progetti Speciali. Si tratta di politiche urbane integrate ed intersettoriali dedicate a questioni specifiche: in particolare, ci si occuper� di lavorare sulla comunicazione pubblica e sulla rigenerazione di alcune tra le aree pi� fragili della citt�.

I programmi europei di recupero urbano hanno avuto un ruolo cruciale nel processo di trasformazione della citt�, mettendo a disposizione dell'amministrazione risorse finanziarie importanti per lo sviluppo di azioni integrate di rigenerazione urbana. Tra le tematiche al centro la riqualificazione fisica degli spazi ma anche la dimensione socioeconomica e lo sviluppo locale.

Un capitolo importante della storia urbana recente di Torino riguarda i grandi eventi, e gli effetti che hanno saputo generare sul sistema locale a livello economico, fisico e sociale. Eventi come le Olimpiadi invernali del 2006 e il Centocinquantenario dell'Unit� d'Italia hanno contribuito a modificare la percezione della citt� da parte degli stessi abitanti, oltre da parte di visitatori e i turisti.

The reorganization of the urban and surrounding land of Turin is based on the reinforcement of one of its large-scale infrastructure networks, the bypass system that was created at the end of the Sixties and is connected to the main roads which enter and cross the city. Among these, the Spina Centrale (main rail line) is the new urban backbone of the transport system, which extends across the original railway network, crossing Turin from North to South for 10km and reuniting parts of the city which had been cut off for decades.

Turin's infrastructure system is supported principally by its cross-city railway, an underground line which runs for 13km across the city from North to South (8km of which is tunnelled). Designed to improve the Turin hub and assist important infrastructure projects such as the Metropolitan Railway Network and the Turin-Lyon high-speed rail link, the railway's main hub is Turin's new Porta Susa station.

The opening of the bypass in 2012 allowed the introduction of the Metropolitan Railway Network, a regional service offering 8 lines and 93 stations accessible in Turin via five urban stations (Lingotto, Porta Susa, Porta Nuova, Rebaundengo Fossata and Stura). The aim of the project is to increase medium and short range mobility by improving the intersection of different lines and systems of transport.

With the introduction of the first Underground line, Turin added an important link to its chain of strategies for sustainable urban and regional mobility. The first automated underground system in Italy, the Turin Underground runs from Bengasi station (currently in progress) to Collegno. A second line is planned, which will link the northern and southern parts of the city of Turin.

The new postindustrial character of Turin is clearly evident in the squares in the city centre � many of these piazzas were pedestrianized and renovated during the Nineties. The redevelopment of public spaces is the first step to building an image of a city of culture and art. At the same time, the pedestrianization of streets and squares was supported by the creation of many underground carparks in the city centre.

The redevelopment of public areas also includes the creation of pedestrian walkways which merge with natural landscape features. These walkways link the banks of the River Po and the River Dora (the latter currently in a period of re-emergence after decades of industrial use) or city areas which were for a long time detached from the rail system, all areas where the Olympics left a lasting mark. Another example is the mechanized elevator system linking the castle of Rivoli with its historic hamlet.

Restricted traffic area, a network of cycle paths, bike and car sharing, and the Integrated Piedmont Ticket: these are just a few of the strategies introduced as part of a project of sustainable mobility in the Turin metropolitan area, a project which is designed to improve access to various urban services as well as reducing pollution and traffic congestion.

In 1984, the inauguration of the Museum of Contemporary Art (housed inside the renovated Castle of Rivoli) marked the beginning of a crucial journey to redefine the identity of Turin: from industrial town to city of culture and tourism. In this sense, the renovation and reutilization of the large Baroque and nineteenth century sites as cultural �containers� is a particular feature of Turin's transformation.

The gradual abandonment of many industrial buildings during the 80's and 90's offered the city a widespread and unexpected strategic opportunity in the transformation of Turin into a generator of culture. New locations for the search and promotion of contemporary art, theatre and dance have brought new zest to areas which for many years were dictated by the pace and rhythm of factory life.

The change in urban image for Turin is a chance for some cultural associations to renew their own individual image, with radical transformations in their locations. One example of this is the Astra Cinema, which has become a theatre workshop for the European Theatre, in an architectural project based on �reverse archeology�, and the National Automobile Museum has also been updated and extended in a sophisticated renovation project.

Structures dedicated to education, children's services, health and welfare assistance, are all part of the many measures designed to improve urban life and respond in a practical manner to the need for primary services. The actions carried out in the last twenty years have also been useful opportunities to experiment with architectural designs that offer functional and welcoming solutions.

The twentieth Winter Olympic Games of 2006 were a wonderful opportunity to accelerate the process of urban transformation which was already underway, but also to provide Turin with new sporting facilities to promote Olympic sports (such as iceskating) or to improve those venues which already existed with updated security and safety standards (the Stadio Comunale, which later became known as the Olympic Stadium) or to host other large-scale events (e.g. in the PalaOlimpico indoor sports/concert arena)

The new availability of abandoned areas also offered the chance to create new churches � the Turin Dioceses decided to house the Church of Santo Volto in District 3 as well as the offices of the Curia, whilst SERMIG (a non-profit organization for young volunteers / missionaries) chose to locate their ex-military arsenal there. The fringes of the city can also be valuable areas, as proven by the construction of the Romanian Orthodox Church on land which used to be utilized for the storage of fuel.

In the last 20 years, the large-scale services for the general community have mainly been concerned with distribution methods of energy and heating resources, and waste disposal, with the key words being sustainability and energy-saving. The rationalization and concentration of various activities within a single location have been pursued by private individuals and public authorities, who have chosen to house them in new eco-friendly tower constructions in abandoned areas of land.

The redevelopment of buildings in the historic city centre, such as that of the Quadrilatero Romano in the 70's and 80's, made it possible to create new residences and hotels. These projects required minimal architectural intervention but now offer great benefits in terms of public use. In other areas, an initial project of radical substitution was gradually flanked with a re-utilization project involving also abandoned factories.

Re-utilization and ex novo construction � these are also popular solutions in commerce and the service industry, both of which are offered numerous opportunities by the industrial land heritage, whether it be in terms of redevelopment, tabula rasa or new buildings. At the same time, new centres are arriving which are closely linked to the large infrastructures � the shopping centres near the bypass.

Turin is a city of culture but not only � it also houses services, research and the service industry. Alongside new office/company headquarters, new types of employment are emerging in formerly disused areas � from co-working to solutions which combine offices, training areas and open spaces for the community.

From the mid 90's, Turin has tackled the question of regeneration and urban reclamation by initiating succesful projects with new tools such as the Programmes of Urban Reclamation, the district Contracts, and Measures for Local Development. These have helped rebuild the social, economic and physical patterns of the inner city suburbs (Porta Palazzo, San Salvario) and the districts of council housing.

During the early 2000s, a series of initiatives promoted by banking and private foundations was set up to aid those in temporary situations of social and economic vulnerability, with innovative projects to respond to the housing demand. Temporary residences and co-housing offer temporary rent-controlled accommodation agreements and new forms of social living for neighbours, combining private and shared living areas.

Founded in the 90's, the Case del Quartiere (�District Community Centres�) are public areas which have been redeveloped thanks to the collaborative assistance of public institutions, banking institutions and businesses, social enterprises and citizens. Despite their wide diversity, all of the Centres guarantee a meeting place and point of reference for citizens, where many associations and informal groups may organize their activities, hold social or leisure events, and stage courses or workshops.

The Special Suburban Project began in 1997 and marked the beginning of a season rich in social policy strictly connected to urban policy and aimed at the weaker poorer areas of the city which were not part of the larger urban transformation projects. The redevelopment of public spaces in the suburbs, part of Aim 2 measures in the EU Structural Funds project, has often been carried out in collaboration with the citizens themselves.

Since 1993, Turin Council has been working on restoring the river bank areas to create a unique parkland covering 70km and a surface area of 17 million square metres. This largescale project for public use of land (pedestrian paths, cycle paths, nature trails and didactic resources) is guided by respect and protection of the environmental and landscape features of each waterway.

Corona Verde is a strategic project on a regional scale designed to connect the network of protected urban and peri-urban areas of the city, linking these with regional parks and the agricultural/forestry areas of the Piedmont valleys. The regional project is still in progress and involves 93 municipalities over an area covering 165,000 hectares.

The network of huge historic city parks and the smaller network of gardens/green areas dotted around the city make up a structural basis which links and unites the city. The work carried out over the years in these areas has served to reinforce the landscape and the collective value of use, enjoyment and local identity.

The post industrial transition of the city had important effects also from the point of view of environmental reclamation, with over 50 hectares of parkland being recovered. An industrial air, leisure activities and new use of the open spaces are the main characteristics of Parco Dora in Spina (District) 3 and Parco Aurelio Peccei in Spina (District) 4.

After all landfill activity definitively ended in 2009, a programme of renaturalization was started in the area. The environmental clean-up involves land protection, the replenishment of plant life and aesthetic improvement via the creation of a tree-lined barrier along the perimeter.

The relationship between agriculture and city has changed significantly over the last few years. New projects and specific measures, such as TOCC (Turin, a City to Cultivate) and Miraorti, have contributed to the promotion of agricultural management in an urban context which considers not only food production factors but also social, environmental and land protection issues.

The Politecnico (Polytechnic University of Turin) has chosen to house its building and architectural program in two new main sites � the Citadella Politecnica (Polytechnic City) in Spina 2 (District 2 on the North-South rail line) and the new Design Centre at Mirafiori. The Universit� degli Studi (University of Turin), on the other hand, opted for an extensive city campus model which is spread out around the city, in the historic centre and along the River Po.

The university and its sites are one of the main driving forces of future urban development and the quality of the city. The reappropriation of large buildings or areas such as the MOI arches and Torino Esposizioni (Turin's Exhibition Centre) alongside the concentration of people, functions, uses and services in particular areas are the principle impetuses of the �Torino Citt� Universitaria" (University City of Turin) programme.

The reorganization of the universities has gone hand in hand with a sizeable growth in the number of university halls of residence in the city and surrounding areas. The Winter Olympic Games of 2006 contributed enormously to satisfying the resulting need for accommodation, in that the Olympic villages built for press and athletes were then converted for university residence use.

Over the next few years, ten public areas will be transformed into university residential accommodation. These projects will be managed by private companies who will develop services and halls of residence which are efficiently located within the city area, in pleasant surroundings which are also lively and dynamic areas near the centres of study and research.