The paper engages with the changes undergoing in the field of development cooperation and offers a systematic appraisal of the relationship undergoing between geography and development cooperation, with special attention to the Italian context. On the one hand the paper reflects on how this relationship contributes to the debate on the epistemological basis and social legitimacy of the discipline. On the other hand it concentrates on how geographical studies can meet the needs of development cooperation, focusing especially on its transcalar and comprehensive approach. Keywords: Geography, development cooperation, development, territoriality, networks.