The project provides an analysis of the potential and the role of territorial planning in keeping with a harmonious and sustainable development of the cross-border territory of the Province of Gorizia. A comparative study of the planning instruments adopted in Italy and Slovenia for territorial management is envisaged, to detect the points of contact for future joint planning. As the study is drawn up, special attention will be attached to those sectors that are especially critical or particularly promising for the economic development of the area: intermodal system, tourist development, environmental protection, water system, road network, public transportation and energy system (energy requirements, production, energy transport and distribution), in order to provide useful instruments to assist in the decision-making process on territorial planning in the area of reference. In this regard, the intermodal system acquires a fundamental strategic relevance to carry out an innovative transport policy, that favours coastal shipping and railway transport instead of the traditional road transport or that, at least, envisages the functional integration of the various carriers. The project aims at identifying and gathering the information tools that are necessary for future cross-border territorial planning; indicating the weak and strong points of the current planning tools; suggesting the possible evolution of planning systems and formulating proposals of common interest or on homogenous areas; analysing and evaluating in-depth the possibilities to integrate existing service networks, in order to create the conditions required to foster a harmonious and organic socio-economic development in both Italy and Slovenia, based on the principle of sustainability.