Abstract
New processes of urbanization have recently led to a concentration of inhabitants in big cities and a consequent depopulation of marginal areas. In Italy, this phenomenon has also affected mountain regions, which are still facing dramatic depopulation and economic depression. The incapacity of public administrations to remedy this public problem has recently led to the introduction of new forms of collaborations with actors belonging to diverse jurisdictional areas (governmental institutions, private companies, no-profit organizations, and local communities). These forms of partnership can be defined as cross sector collaborations and, in the case of community involvement, can also be arranged as community-based enterprises (CBEs). In this paper, we investigate the capacity of CBEs to be an effective instrument for cross-sector collaboration in the field of urban regeneration. In particular, by applying a specific analysis model inspired by the framework elaborated by Bryson, Crosby, and Stone (2015), we analyze an Italian experience of community engagement promoted in Castel Del Giudice, a small town in the Southern Apennines. Through document analysis and an interview method, the paper gives a twofold contribution to the field. Firstly, it provides a rigorous exploration of the preconditions, processes, structures, and results of a successful case of cross-sector collaboration. Secondly, it offers elements to assess potentiality and points of criticisms of CBEs to promote urban regeneration policies. In this sense, we conclude that the creation of a community-based network represents a second level of cross sector-collaboration that can potentiate the capacity to pursue the community interest.
Highlights
IntroductionUrban regeneration has become a relevant topic in disciplines that focus more on the transformation of a territory (i.e., urban planning, environmental management, and geography) and in other branches of study less directly involved in this issue (i.e., sociology, economics, political sciences, and public management)
Urban regeneration has become a relevant topic in disciplines that focus more on the transformation of a territory and in other branches of study less directly involved in this issue
We investigate the capacity of community-based enterprises (CBEs) to be a convenient instrument for cross-sector collaboration in the field of urban regeneration
Summary
Urban regeneration has become a relevant topic in disciplines that focus more on the transformation of a territory (i.e., urban planning, environmental management, and geography) and in other branches of study less directly involved in this issue (i.e., sociology, economics, political sciences, and public management). The last economic crisis has reduced the share of public expenditure that can be allocated for these issues [3] In such a scenario, the involvement of civil society is seen as an avenue for elaborating new solutions and multiplying expertise and financial resources [4]. Empirical cases of CBE have been recognized first in some less-developed regions of the world [5,6], but a similar idea has been implemented in Western countries. This trend has affected Italy, where an increasing number of CBEs, especially in the form of cooperatives, have been established in recent years [7]
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