The strategic plan of Vibo Valentia: a shared experience

The article illustrates a concrete experience of territorial strategic planning of a city in Southern Italy, stressing the importance of the participation, involvement and commitment of the whole local community to ensure concrete development results. The authors explain the role of participation in the preparation of the strategic plan and describe the tools and methods that were used to promote the active involvement of the local community. They also retrace the main steps that led to the definition of a shared development strategy and of the projects to achieve it. The article focuses mainly on the positive effects that participation had on the local community, in terms of: enhancement of existing know-how; improved awareness of the territory’s problems and potentials; improved sense of responsibility and stronger awareness of the importance of personal commitment to solve territorial problems and trigger development; improved relationships among local actors; Improved mutual trust between citizens and local council; stronger sense of collective identity and belonging; identification of shared, concrete and feasible development projects; willingness to carry on participative activities in the future.