The working hypothesis is that crisis would have changed the relations between society, economy and territory, which used to constitute a real paradigm since a decade ago. We suppose that this change is visible and could be described from the point of view of space, which is the one pertaining architecture and urbanism. Adopting an ab-ductive/pragmatist approach we describe Biella looking for change symptoms and we suppose that the most relevant transformation of space Ties in a radical new territorial complexity (actors, relations, hierarchies, overlapping, dynamics). Hereafter we reflect on planning and design practice as it is supposed to be the main architects tool for coping with issues and we hypothesize flexibility as answer to complexity since flexibility is defined as enabling the future. The Hip-podamus horizontality grid seems to grant flexibility more in terms of metaphor than of morphology and we try to adopt it as a guide for planning dealing with the main Biella issues. The ambition is not yet a full plan but a metanarrative survey which reflects on planning horizontal territories. Conclusions focus on further steps and open issues, mainly regarding three fields: epistemology, semiotics, planning. Because of the changed background conditions and inadequacy of the past one, architecture and urbanism require a renewed reflection on their specific research method, boundaries, goals and tools. Contemporary world seems to face a kind of new urban middle age" where surplus of culture, buildings, inequality, rust, dross, ruins... constitute a new reality whom we are not able anymore to give meaning to. This not significant world demands to be deeply studied in its implication on Aesthetics and Planning. Nowadays trends radically change the meaning of "well-being“ regarding living, privacy, public space. Planning is supposed to take it into consideration exploring new paradigms as well as dealing with the emerging role of social effervescences.

The Introduction is about the main representations of Biella, an historical survey, a sociological analysis of contemporary way of living, a description of trends.

Letture (Readings) describes Biella through four territorial sections. Each of them is presented through a geographical description, an analysis of crisis implications, an interpretation of the main issues. Tools of the inquiry are: photography, mapping, data collecting, drawing, writing. First part ends sharping the concept of “crisis” and focusing on a relevant issue: which is the new kind of territorial complexity?

Scritture (Writings) describes Biella from the planning point of view. If crisis generates a more complex and dense territory, planning theory needs to get deepened. The “Horizontal city" metaphor is frequently given as the answer to XX Century main issues. We re-discuss here this metaphor through the four sections for proving its relevance, failure, re-toolin.