Space, Regions, and Landscapes: Toward a “Territorial” Perspective?

The present chapter examines the notion of territory from a multidisciplinary and “systemic” perspective, framing it not as a merely physical or geographical entity, but as a complex socioeconomic and cultural construct. “Territorialization”—a process that encompasses practices of naming, materialization, institutionalization, and spatial structuring of forms and functions—is conceptualized as the dynamic outcome of the interaction among material, symbolic, and relational dimensions. The concept of space is explored in its multiple analytical dimensions (namely, geometric, philosophical, economic, geographical, and cultural), illustrating how different epistemological interpretations influence both individual and collective (spatial) representations. Within this framework, economic space is interpreted as a fundamental determinant of regional development: the spatial localization of production activities, the presence of scale economies, and the externalities generated by physical (and thematic) proximity collectively contribute to the creation of competitive advantages, as well as to the reproduction of territorial disparities. Focusing on economic spaces, this contribution finally highlights the historical evolution of cartographical representations and emphasizes the analytical significance of geographical scale in landscape interpretation.