In Italy, like in most other countries in the EU, there has been a tendency since the 1990s to ascribe to urban planning tasks that are not limited to building and land use regulations but extend to the management of strategies to transform and develop the city and surrounding areas.
This shift from a type of urban development that is chiefly conformative in nature to one that is managerial and performance-oriented derives from the new expression "governance of the territory" introduced in art. 117 of the new reformed title V of our Constitution, where the areas of State-Regions concurrent legislation are indicated. The two things are closely linked, since the new vision of planning, by virtue of its performance-based nature, brings into doubt the principle of subsidiarity, since it is not possible to develop territorial governance strategies without the knowledge and active involvement of institutional levels closest to those contexts for which actions are planned.
In this way cities and territories are no longer viewed as physical realities, whose spatial organisation is to be regulated on a technical level and in terms of distributive justice. They now appear also and above all as a set of tangible and intangible assets, comprising both assets to be protected, such as natural, historical and cultural resources, and potential resources (fixed assets) that may constitute a ‘value added' in sustainable development processes through cooperation between local and supralocal actors in the public and private spheres.
The management of these processes and of instruments promoting and regulating them (territorial pacts, integrated projects, etc.) partly go beyond the remits of urban planning, even in its broader concept of "territorial governance". It is however up to the latter to pinpoint and prepare the local conditions for projects and strategic development actions, capable of transforming the potential of different contexts into value.
The bill for the new national urban planning law, now being examined by the Senate, is moving in this direction, as are legislative reforms and territorial plans already approved or being drawn up in a number of Italian Regions. These experiences have uncovered a number of problems that need to be studied and brought to the attention of civil society, public administrators and political forces, especially those aspects affecting the functioning of society, the economy and institutions and that have an impact on the living conditions of inhabitants.
The CSS shareholder meeting held on 16 and 17 November of last year in Frascati decided in favour of the creation of a study committee to look at these problems. The discussion pinpointed as problems of particular relevance: multilevel governance (State-Regions-Provinces-Municipalities) of the territory and relative forms of representation and participation; associated and growing conflict regarding major infrastructural actions and the location of community services such as waste-to-energy plants, degasifiers, etc.; the redefinition of local identities and of citizens' rights relating to the protection of the local "heritage", the environment and access to local community resources; functions and methods for creating "metropolitan cities", provided for by the reform of Title V.
In view of the vastness of these problems, their importance and newness and the absence of reflection on these issues, it is believed necessary to focus first of all on mapping out these problems and considering their connections, to be taken as a starting point for the redefinition of the whole issue, in order to move beyond the current state of confusion in terms of terminology and interpretation. The final goal is to propose and develop operational and conceptual tools that can be useful for solutions in keeping with the community objectives of cohesion, competitiveness and sustainability, to be placed realistically within ongoing trends in the Italian context.
The Committee will be formed by a limited number of members, bringing specialist skills and open to interdisciplinary dialogue. The committee should operate in a systematic manner, through hearings, restricted workshops and focus groups, inviting persons that have acquired significant experience, in different positions, through study and in the field, of the various aspects of territorial governance. This should also make it possible to outline possible future scenarios of the Italian situation.