A Fundamental Transformation in the Context of Peripheral Territories and Revitalization Processes in Urban Planning

Abstract

In recent decades, an urban-centric political vision has meant that urban planning, urban peripheries, small and medium-sized cities, as well as rural areas, have been living in a state of economic decline, have suffered a lack of essential services, and have therefore seen progressive depopulation.

All these areas, identified as “inner areas,” have strategic relevance especially in Italy, as they occupy about 60% of its national territory inhabited by 23% of the total population (approx. 13,540 million inhabitants). Therefore, in 2014, the Ministry for Economic Development and Territorial Cohesion launched a National Strategy for the Development of Inner Areas known by the acronym SNAI (Sviluppo Nazionale Aree Interne), whose overall objective was the revitalization of these marginal territories by improving the quality and quantity of key welfare services (education, health, transport, etc.). This is an ambitious and demanding transformation plan.

In this article, this major transformation using the Travelling Pillar of the Three-Pillar Model (developed in: Wollmann, P. et al. (Eds.): Three Pillars of Organization and Leadership in Disruptive Times—Navigating Your Company Successfully through the twenty-first Century Business World. Cham: Springer Nature, © 2020 and refined in: Wollmann, P. et al. (Eds.): Organization and Leadership in Disruptive Times—Design and Implementation of the 3-P Model. Cham: Springer Nature, © 2021) is further explained and the Travelling Organization concept applied to the National Strategy for the Development of Inner Areas in order to understand how territorial planning approaches the unknown future and/or lock-in situations after a crisis.

The focus on the development strategies of inner areas has additional relevance following the recent pandemic that has brought the city-periphery dichotomy back into public discourse. The scale of this is demonstrated by an impressive example.

The article will therefore cover different aspects of transformation in (urban areas) triggered by adaptive urban planning, strategic urban planning, and place-based policy. It will also mention learning by doing approaches in territorial cohesion, inclusive territory, and local development and will describe depopulation, marginalized areas, peripheralization, inner areas, and ways to create resilience.