Europe today is crossed by a strong demand for autonomy from the territories: on the one hand, to protect the identities of local communities and, on the other, for the growing demand for a wider representation of resident citizens. However, these requests can jeopardize the objectives of balance and integration between parts of the territory and between those who live in them, objectives that have always been at the center of reflection and proposals developed in the context of regional sciences. The recent crisis has heightened instability and widened economic and social gaps not only between regions, but also within the regions themselves. The North-South gaps in Italy have further increased and, in a post-crisis phase, this unstoppable process requires ever greater scientific and policy insights in terms of commitment and intervention capacity. If the economic growth of the past decade had found impetus in expanding the spaces of relationships and exchanges, the responses to the threats brought about by the crisis materialized in the closure of borders and in the defense of local levels of well-being. A particular specification of this theme also concerns the relationships between urban and rural territories and local systems, between plains and mountains as well as mountain areas, .
The preface is therefore an acute reflection on issues of urgent relevance for Italy and of great interest for the regional sciences, accepting important scientific and policy challenges
