Compared to the North-West, the Northeast appears as a territory still largely based on manufacturing activities. The economical crisis is strongly affecting it in terms of occupation, services and infrastructures. In a region that for thirty years has been self-sufficient, the competitive asset of spontaneous development is not enough anymore. On the diffuse manufacturing base a new Northeast has to be built: an inclusive and networking metropolis. Even though regarded as an heresy in specialized literature as well as by public opinion, if we judge by reality it is a reasonable solution. Urban polycentrism associated to the industrial fabric can turn into an advantage if provided services are brought closer to the citizens and if infrastructures are seen from a different perspective. There is no more use in thinking about the region as a series of autonomous enclaves, the northeast is a macro-region in Italy and a bridge to the “New Europe”. Open towards the East and the South. After a long process of industrial development a new phase is approaching with greater emphasis placed on the territory and its geo-economic and strategic aspects.