Abstract
So far the literature discussed rural-urban linkages as an instrument that has the capacity to reduce the rural-urban divide and to improve the living conditions of rural and mountain areas. However, structural changes in the economy and society, advance in transportation and communication technology as well as transformations in the cities’ functions and structures have significantly modified the dynamics between rural and urban areas from a mono-dimensional and univocal relationship to a multifaceted conceptual framework. Interaction today happens in non-contiguous spaces and are not only based on physical proximity; they actually occur in a broad territorial space that is no longer limited to geographical boundaries. In order to understand the new types of relationships that are occurring today between different territories and to comprehend their nature as well as to suggest governance tools to enhance them, it is necessary to develop a new conceptual framework. A new conceptual framework, based on the concept of “smart territorial relationships”, will allow to re-frame, adapt, explain and describe linkages and interactions as they appear nowadays in our society. It does not consider anymore the dichotomy between “rural” and “urban", but it rather promotes a rural urban continuum within territories.
Keywords: Smart territorial relationships; Rural-urban divide; Proximity; Rural mountain area; Spatial justice