Repopulating peripheral rural areas? The approach of the Italian National Strategy for Inner Areas

Massive depopulation, ageing, low density, and distance from the centres where services and opportunities are located are typical features of peripheral rural areas, that challenge their liveability and potential for development, raising social and spatial justice issues at the same time. Launched in 2014, the Italian National Strategy for Inner Areas (SNAI) aims to reverse the decline loops these areas have been trapped into, through the adoption of a place-based approach pivoted on bottom-up local development strategies coupled with the top-down provision of essential services. Repopulation is one of the key goals of the SNAI, to be achieved both by retaining existing dwellers and by attracting new populations. This paper analyses whether and how the SNAI acknowledges and addresses different types of population movements, their needs, capabilities and conditions to become active players in long-lasting repopulation and development dynamics. The contribution draws on the analysis of the strategic documents concerning the 72 project areas targeted by the strategy in the programming period 2014–2020. The results of the analysis help to highlight the strategy's potentialities and limitations in considering the complexities of repopulation. • Italian peripheral areas are characterized by marginalisation, having long been left behind. • Reversing depopulation requires not only attracting but also retaining populations. • Overreliance on tourism as a development lever is questionable. • Temporary populations must be investigated. • It should be argued whether repopulation is realistic in demographic contexts marked by deep-rooted negative natural growth.