Accessibility Improvements and Place-Based Organization in the Island of Sardinia (Italy)

The poor transport system in Sardinia, particularly in the inner areas, affects the social-economic development and the determinants of the productive activities. After illustrating the specificities of these areas in terms of transport accessibility, orography, and the relationship between populations, a new territorial organization is proposed, integrating the new tendencies in mobility. The development of the transport system of these marginal areas plays a key role in future scenarios. In the paper, some analysis highlights the infrastructural weaknesses and the limited accessibility of the inner areas and its negative effects on the local economy. These can be overcome fixing reference hubs, with the function of supplying services and connecting most developed and rich territories located in the coastal areas. On a regional basis, the reference hubs would accomplish the task of a firm, efficient link with the mainland, while the minor hubs would have the function of spreading the urban impact throughout the territory. The strategy matches with the improvement in land accessibility, with vast intervention on the inner road system, and with the creation of a system of strong links with the main urban settlements of the island and with the regional and national transport network. A further strategy is maximizing the integration among infrastructural systems, productive structures, agricultural areas, services, and residential centers, with the perspective of promoting the tourist and environmental vocation of Sardinia. Finally, a new criteria for the infrastructures, integration of the different transport modes with the main transport terminals, is proposed.