Community connections. Project hypothesis for cable car connections in the municipalities of the Lucanian Dolomites.

The Lucanian Dolomites represent a fragile territory of the Basilicata Region, in need of a new infrastructural arrangement capable of solving connection problems between the municipalities and the main road infrastructures. Within the MITIGO Project (Mitigation of natural risks for safety and mobility in the mountainous areas of Southern Italy – “FESR, PON Research and Innovation 2014-2020”), co-financed by the European Union, a cable car connection project has been designed between the municipalities of Pietrapertosa, Castelmezzano and the S.S. 407 Basentana road axis. The project aims to solve the problems of landslides on existing road links and their difficult accessibility. The project master plan identifies three “hubs” in the territory where the cable car stations are located, which also serve as community gathering places. The architectural project, focused on the need to guarantee a direct and safe connection, presents an opportunity for the redevelopment of urban and landscape areas that are currently not fully valorised. The architectural forms, materials, and position in the area respond to technical requirements and define a new landmark in the landscape, becoming a tourist attraction. The project of a cableway connection system is a valid tool to respond to the impact of natural ecological disasters, such as landslides, in the inland areas Basilicata, where many municipalities are isolated and without adequate road infrastructure.