In 1992, a Swiss referendum gave the green light to the Alptransit high-speed rail line, a complex infrastructural project destined to redefine travel across the Alpine region. In response to the initial project designed by the engineers of the Federal Railways and upon a specific request by architects Mario Botta, Aurelio Galfetti, Luigi Snozzi, and Livio Vacchini, in 1993, the Council of State granted the Canton of Ticino to come up with its counterproposal, based on a more constructive dialogue with the territory.
Shortly thereafter, architect Galfetti was commissioned to set up and lead an interdisciplinary think tank on the subject: he invited experts from different backgrounds, such as civil engineers Giuseppe Grignoli, planner Pierino Borella, economist Remigio Ratti, and historian Raffaello Ceschi. Each contribution was coordinated by the architect’s work. For the first time, spatial design choices seemed to interfere with, and perhaps prevail over, the technical component in identifying the route.
The so-called “Reflection Group” wished to avert the new rail line from becoming a mere transit corridor and grasped the urgent need to plan for its interaction with the territory. They took the chance to design the infrastructure as a guide for the development of the Ticino City, a diffuse alpine region taking shape in a hybrid urban sprawl in need of a reconnection.
While analysing the design at different scales, the intervention proposal aims to point out how the Alptransit project eventually resulted in a unique opportunity to draft a territorial vision. The research also wishes to reconstruct the internal dynamics of the Group’s teamwork, its methodology, its interaction with the political authorities, and the real outcomes of its work. Finally, it aims to establish a comparison with present-day infrastructural design, raising questions on the role of architects and planners in their development from today’s perspective.
Bibliography
- Arnaboldi, M., Sassi E. (Eds.). (2012), Atlante città Ticino, USI Mendrisio Academy Press.
- L’Alptransit e la “Città Ticino” / Alptransit and “Ticino City” (2009). USI Mendrisio Academy Press.
- De Gottardi, R. (2020, October 14). Il cuore pulsante del nuovo sistema ferroviario regionale. Espazium. https://www.espazium.ch/it/attualita/il-cuore-pulsante-del-nuovo-sistema-ferroviario-regionale
