Urban and transport planning integration. A case study in a mid-size city in Italy

Integrating urban and transport planning requires a well-defined approach structured across various planning and strategic levels. This emphasizes the necessity to explore the matter within the frameworks of territorial government processes. The paper aims to address the issue by examining the case of the city of Brescia, Lombardy, a mid-size city which is pioneer in Italy in the development of innovative transport systems. Brescia is equipped with a metro line and is on the final stages of in the design of the new tram line "T2 Pendolina-Fiera". The paper is developed as follow: (1) significance of the integration between urban and transport planning; (2) narration of precedents where Brescia has been at the forefront in this domain; (3) reconstruction of administrative steps that led to the design of the tram; (4) assessment of the role of the new tram line in the urban context; (5) final considerations. The research verified that it was possible for a medium size Italian city to apply the desired integrated approach, as well as the effectiveness of the local planning tool in Lombardy region (the PGT) to hold together strategic and design layers to target such goal.