Territorio senza termini

“Architecture is not immune to the ‘plague of language’ described by Calvino”. These were the words of De Carlo in 1988. Since then, the gap between words and things has got bigger and it is now clear that it is a serious mistake to deal with issues of territorial change within the sphere of traditional design and analysis methods, theoreti- cal frameworks and standard operating procedures. What can serve as a fresh starting point? This is a valid question if one believes that the neglect of substance inevitably conveyed by every term is in danger of “creating ghosts and fighting battles with them that are just as heroic as they are pointless”, as Bernardo Secchi put it. Words have lost their powers of expression, evocative capacities and symbolic dimensions. There is more to this than the inconsistency of language: there is a real gulf between the ritualistic town planning discourse and territorial reality. This is what has happened with the word “city”. Even in “Teoría General de la Urbanización” it was already a name with no direct referent: an em- blem of a dead language and the last vestige of a now fully consumed term. Territorial interpretations today require ongoing efforts on an unprecedented scale to take a fresh look at urban phenomena, rework questions and break new ground in theoretical awareness. Starting again with “new words” is a working hypothesis that requires pru- dence, very close examination and observation from numerous points of view. It is necessary to contemplate which might be the most fertile adjoining fields for territorial disciplines, as well as the most beneficial crossovers and the most fruitful affiliations.