Fragmented Spatial Planning:How the Differential Regional Legislative Framework Influences Land Consumption in Italy

This contribution focuses on how Italy’s differential regional spatial planning legislative framework results in a differential capacity to address land consumption. It does so by exploring how the 21 regional laws that frame spatial planning activities in the country address sustainable land use issues differently, and what implications these differences have for local instruments and practices. The heterogeneous situation regarding land consumption is initially presented, drawing on existing studies. The analysis then shifts to examine how sustainable land use concerns have been through time integrated into the 21 regional legislative frameworks that govern spatial planning across the country. To assess these frameworks, a number of key variables have been identified and used to compare the regional laws. The results of the analysis support a reflection on the legislative, socioeconomic, and morphological factors that contribute to the observed regional disparities in land consumption.