Regional Planning Facing Global Challenges: Issues and Perspectives in the Italian Case

Abstract

This paper examines recent models and practices of regional spatial planning in Italy, highlighting the innovations and challenges faced by regional planning institutions. Since the devolution of local power in 1977, Italian regions have been required to produce both Territorial Regional Plans and Regional Landscape Plans, often linked to regional development programmes. Early experiments in the 1980s and 1990s focused on indicative planning, special areas, and infrastructure. Two major reforms shaped planning in the 2000s: the 2001 constitutional amendment promoting subsidiarity, and the 2004 National Landscape Code redefining landscape governance. These changes have prompted revisions to regional legislation and planning instruments. Recent regional plans move beyond traditional regulatory coordination towards mixed models that are strategic, structural, and operational. Case examples from Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Tuscany, and ongoing processes in Friuli Venezia Giulia and Piedmont, as well as the interregional Padano-Alpine-Maritime initiative, illustrate emerging approaches. The paper argues that such innovations aim to foster shared visions, identity protection, and multilevel governance in Italian regional planning.