Local Development in Fragile Areas: Reterritorialization Processes in an Alpine Community

The article focuses on the relationships between social networks and spatial organization in view of the activation of local development in ‘fragile areas’, which are territories characterized by geographical, economic and social weaknesses. Territory is considered in its multidimensional complexity in regard to natural and human-made features, phenomena of a physical kind (environment, settlements and infrastructure) and others of immaterial nature (knowledge, social relationships and imagery) relating to local societies. The methodological proposal stresses the role of social capital (and of the connected one of territorial capital) in activating local development paths. Local development and reterritorialization processes can take place when organizational and operational proposals — which devise a future for the community — are put forward, taking advantage of the endowment of social capital and at the same time enhancing it. A case study is developed on a resurgent community in an Alpine region, comparing the development path recently activated with those of two territories (a specialized agricultural area, and a tourism system) whose successful experiences are based on spatially located social networks.