Railway transport and “city gates” in the development of the city: The case of matera

Abstract

Since their appearance train stations have played a key role in urban areas, constituting the driving force to the new city planning or their transformation. The stations are elements of access to the city, such as the ancient “urban gates”, symbols of identity of a places. The main method of analysis of the role of railway stations in urban environments is the Drawing, main tool to study the architecture of the buildings and the relationship with the urban surroundings. The goal is the study of the project actions which involve the railway station in its historical evolution, with the aim of identifying guidelines in established contexts. The historic reconstruction of urban areas through the Survey and Project design allows the knowledge and appreciation of the places by means of the representation of existing architecture and new proposals. A case study is the railway station of Matera and its town square.