Strategic planning has at times been a source of excessive expectations. Based on an applied research project, the article highlights some of the technical and political difficulties that these processes can encounter in the formation of coalitions capable of knowing and making consistent decisions and of constructing a vision and an effective set of rules to guide transformations in the community. Despite the strong academic and practical interest, strategic planning reveals its inherent limits, which are even more significant if they are considered within the framework of the technical expertise and culture of Italian urban planning.
Giovanni BronzettiRomilda MazzottaMaria Teresa Nardo