Camminare. Cooperare. Giocare. Tre azioni del metaprogetto in architettura

This research investigates the relationship between design and metadesign in architecture, taking as its field of study the processes of territorial transformation in contemporary contexts marked by ecological crisis, climate change, and socio-spatial complexity. In this thesis, design is understood as a situated, relational, and strategic process. The research questions guiding the thesis are as follows: How can metadesign structure the contemporary architectural process, orienting it towards forms of territorial transformation that are conscious and contextually grounded? What value do the practices of walking, cooperating, and playing acquire in the construction of a metadesign framework capable of generating design criteria and scenarios? How can action research be configured as a methodological device suited to integrating situated knowledge, participation, and experimentation within the metadesign process? Metadesign is understood as the preliminary and reflective level of the design process, in which criteria, paradigms, and scenarios capable of guiding subsequent choices are defined. It produces an open strategic framework based on the interpretation of context, understood as an interweaving of historical, environmental, social, and cultural dimensions, and on the translation of that interpretation into operational guidelines. Metadesign and design are therefore interdependent phases of a single process. The research adopts the paradigm of action research, integrating theory and practice through recursive cycles of design, action, observation, and reflection. The researcher assumes the role of an agent of change, activating processes of knowledge co-construction with local communities. Architecture is thus interpreted as a collective practice capable of generating concrete and conscious transformations. The hypothesis advanced is that metadesign can be made operational through three actions: walking, cooperating, and playing. Walking is assumed as an epistemological device: slowness and the body in motion enable a situated knowledge of the landscape, producing maps, narratives, and design criteria. The experience of designing the C4R2 walking route between Basilicata and Calabria demonstrates how a slow infrastructure can become a tool for situated knowledge, territorial connection, and socio-ecological activation. Cooperating introduces the participatory dimension as a metadesign principle: through co-design, the project integrates technical expertise and situated knowledge, constructing shared scenarios rooted in place. Finally, playing configures play as an experimental and educational device: through gamification practices, complex themes are translated into tools for learning and strategic orientation. The outcome of the research converges in the definition of the C2G Method — Walking, Cooperating, Playing — a methodological proposal that interprets metadesign as a dynamic, open, and adaptive process. The thesis argues that metadesign represents a necessary condition for ensuring coherence, rootedness, and transformative capacity in contemporary architectural design, placing the concrete and everyday dimension of experience at the centre of socio-ecological regeneration processes.