The decision-making processes in environmental matters : two italian case studies

Abstract

The philosophy -which has guided the growth of industrial countries- has been characterized as aspiration to unlimited quantitative increase. This increase has been based on alteration of natural system , waste of resources and dissipation of energy. The phenomena of decrease and pollution, which invest urban and metropolitan ambits, are assuming the level of emergency and are holding such importance as to require the revision of the specific decision-making system. The pursuit of such an aim requires a clear definition of the decision-making processes in environmental matters and the examination of the factors which compromise its efficacy, in the ampler context of the politics of territory management. The resolution of 'environmental issue' has to be compared with a different culture of transformation, which conjugate environmental values and socio-economic development. In relation to this the research has been subdivided in these phases : • description of environmental problems in Campania (South Italy) and in Lombardia (North Italy), with particular reference to metropolitan areas; • study of characters and manners of course of the environmental decision¬ making processes in Campania (South Italy) and in Lombardia (North Italy). Examination of elements which compromise the effectivness of environmental decisions; • description of actual situation about regional planning in environmental matters, in comparison with European and Italian aims; • definition of the system of competences in environmental matters : specification of the outline of institutional and non-institutional actors, of their organizational patterns, of their ambits of action and of their ambits of competence in every enviromental matters. The results of this study can be pinpointed in : • definition of reference criteria for the reorganization of the decisional system in environmental matters; • expression of hypotesis for the revision of decisional network in environmental matters, according to contents of the law which institute the Metropolitan City authority (Law 142/90).