Mission and Purpose

The Centro studi sul territorio, or CST, is a research center of the University of Bergamo. Since 2001, it has been promoting research activities, through the dissemination of knowledge of the region and the challenges they face in the areas of territorial planning, environmental and urban governance and the generalized mobility that characterizes the globalized society.

Thanks to the interdisciplinary skills it uses, the CST uses innovative approaches and tools aimed at realizing the following:

• Analysis of wide-ranging socio-territorial issues, including studies and assessments of territorial planning interventions
• Research and insights into the culture of places, environmental sustainability, and sustainable tourism
• Participatory investigations for the promotion of territorial governance processes
• Mapping and infographics starting from the collection and analysis of statistical data and Big Data

The CST provides data and knowledge on and for the territory. It monitors the problems of the area itself in order to responds to its needs. It is also a place for the conservation of cartographies and documentary material relating to the areas under study.

Numerous collaborations are active with the Municipality and the Province of Bergamo as well as various territorial institutions, public and private bodies and companies, research centers, and national and international institutions.

Origins and Development

The CST was created in 2001 as an academic research centre of the University of Bergamo. It includes within it the CST-DiathesisLab[1] founded in 2004 by Emanuela Casti, a research and innovation atelier whose specialization revolves around cartographic systems from a theoretical and application point of view, experimenting with interactive and multimedia mapping systems aimed at territorial governance.[2]

Organizational Structure, Membership and Funding

The director is Professor Emanuela Casti. The Board includes 9 other professors, including the deputy director, Prof. Renato Ferlinghetti. The staff includes several researchers, computer scientists, and doctoral students.

Specializations, Methods and Tools

The research centre specializes in mapping, analysis, and digital graphic representations for urban and territorial elaborations and planning, as well as in public engagement programs.

As part of its third mission, it also promotes educational and cultural activities, including specialization courses in the use of GIS (Geographic Information Systems), summer schools, and seminar cycles in collaboration with national and international bodies and institutions.

Major Projects and Events

The CST's projects include the:

• Revision of the landscape plan of the Lombardy Region.
• Reorganization project of the historical archive of the Stelvio National Park.
• Arco Blu project developed as part of the Cariplo Foundation's Natural Capital 2019 call, with the Serio Park as its leader, for the reconstruction of the natural capital in the Low Bergamo plain and in the High cremasco.
• Collaboration with the Lombardy Region (DG Territory, Urban Planning, Soil Defense and the Metropolitan City) on topics and tools for planning on a territorial scale and for promoting public engagement activities in Valcamonica.
• Activities related to the Bergamo International Observatory of Landscape and Garden Studies, including an educational section of the event, titled "The Masters of the Landscape".

The CST organizes an annual conference which aims to disseminate the results of the research conducted during the year.

Analysis and Lessons Learned

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Publications

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See Also

Plural Upper Town

References

[1] CST. (n.d.) Diathesis Lab. https://cst.unibg.it/it/ricerca/diathesis-lab

[2] CST. Home. https://cst.unibg.it/it (ril. 2/8/20).

External Links

Notes