Transport organization and economic development of an European peripherical region: the case of Sicily

Transport and communication networks are some of the most important factors which influence the socio-economic development, and particularly the tourist sector, of Sicily, a peripherical region by comparison with the European central areas. The most recent changes in the transport sector are: a) the creation of integrated trans-national networks, based on specific systems such as the inter-modality transport one and the hub and spoke one. b) the solution of the conflicts between transport development and environmental impact. These changes lead to the creation of global national and regional logistic networks, which increased the competition and efficiency of states/regions/local economic systems. In this paper the authors will analyse how Sicily wants to face these transformations in order to change its economic functions in the Euro-Mediterranean area. On the other side they will take in consideration how the principal choices of European Union influence the projects of Sicilian transport Plans and if Sicilian actors are able to use the European financial resources available in transport sector.

The Touristic Local Systems as a means to re-balance territorial differences in Sicily

The Italian new law (n.135/2001) about the re-organization of touristic activities of Regions has contributed to re-think all the resources related to touristic valorisation in a systemic view point. In fact according to the new approach, the Local Touristic System (STL in Italian law) regards not only the naturalistic and the cultural resources and the hotels but also the economic and services activities that can related to tourism. Although Sicilian Region has not instituted its official STL, in our paper we will try to define the STL in Sicily in a particular point of view. In fact we will consider not only the touristic areas but also the areas less developed, because the systemic approach allows us to use the touristic activities as a factor of territorial re-balance instead of territorial polarization. We also will consider the principal touristic port related to the STL, according the point of view of an integration among ports and its surrounding areas. So the ports become a door to the inner areas full of naturalistic and cultural resources.

Metropolitan Development Policies and Demographic. Dynamics in Sicily

This article will take in consideration the co-existence in Sicily of different models of urbanisation with rising complex problems. Particularly we notice: A) in the coastal conurbations with infrastructural improvements, there is a timid decentralization of functions and the start of plans that would increase of the gateway functions on one hand, and processes of impoverishment of environment and reduction of economic potentialities on the other hand; B) in the inner and marginal areas, while some cities are marked from an unstoppable decline, others show an awakening of initiatives in many fields, from the productive activities to the tertiary and touristic ones. The Sicilian Regional Governments have adopted very different urban policies to front the necessity of various city typologies, since the second half of years ' 80, with the law n.9 of 1986, that it has defined limits and functions of the Sicilian metropolitan areas (M.A.). However, the difficulty to concretely start the activity of the M.A., according to the regional law, is appeared obvious in the next years also for the new Italian Constitution Reformation. Reformation that needs of new regional law from the Sicily and of the definition of the Territorial Urban Regional Plan.

Actors and resources of an evolving local system. The processes that involve Catania, a dynamic reality in a low developed region

Since the second half of the ''''70s, a great crisis has hit the local system of Catania, - which is the most important town in the North-east of Sicily - both in its economical aspects and in its social and political ones. In the ''''90s, nevertheless, the city has been interested by deep transformations which have caused new actors and innovative resources to emerge. During the years of crisis, the Catania local system was based on the building industry and on the public expenditure that have nourished clientelistic and also illegal activities. In fact the public expense played a very important role in the economic development of Sicilian society, where most of the industrial enterprises worked in protected sectors. A few exceptions regarded SMEs with innovative capabilities and larger firms depending from an exogenous management. From this point of view, the authors of this paper will try to draw a clear picture of the changes happened in the last decade in the Catania socio-economic system, pinpointing its ability of nourishing new initiatives in high technology sectors and attracting others from the outside, thanks to the new political atmosphere present in the city and its ambitious aspiration to became an important node in the Mediterranean Basin. Some of the actors of these changes are a group of innovative entrepreneurs, the local University and a new class of politicians more sensitive to the economic and social development of the community.

The urban strategic planning in the peripherical regions: the case of Catania (Sicily)

More and more regional development appears as an effect of the role that cities are able to carry out in the territory. This implies reconsidering not only resources which are available to a city but, above all, its ability to organize urban activities and functions. If these considerations have already found careful appraisal in the most developed regions, by means of the renewal of instruments for the strategic planning of cities, it seems still insufficient the use of these new planning instruments in the less developed regions, although their primary role in the processes of local development. In Southern Italy, for instance, the proliferation of financial support from various sources (E.U., National Government and Regional ones), which imposes plans at different scales (the interregional one, the among cities one and the among suburbs one), and the emergence of actors and stakeholders, also within the presence of public order problems and infrastructural deficiencies, constitute a network that bridles and conditions the city activities and functions, on one side, but can also be a set of occasions that - if used - can push the city towards development itineraries, on the other side. With our paper we propose to compare some experiences of strategic planning in the Southern Italy and to analyse the case of Catania (a central city in an Objective 1 region, Sicily), putting in evidence how the new Plans give order to the activities and the functions of the city, trying to achieve one balanced and sustainable development, by means of the recovery of urban identity.

Le attività creative come strumento per rafforzare lo sviluppo turistico e per innovare l'identità territoriale. Il caso della Sicilia

The creative activities as a tool to enforce the tourism development and to innovate the territorial identity. The study case of Sicily - In this paper the authors take into consideration the growing role of creative activities not only in the development of tourism but above all in the innovation of the territorial identity. The article is divided into three parts, in this paragraph the growing role of human action and creative activities is analyzed, through a bibliographic and historical approach. In the second paragraph, the meaning and classification of creative activities are examined on the one hand, and the role played by relational and creative tourism in the processes of exploitation and attraction of a tourist destination, on the other hand. In the third paragraph, through a field research, authors deal with some case studies related to events produced in Sicily that allow to validate the initial hypotheses

El gobierno del territorio para el desarrollo de Sicilia

La gestión de la economía influye sobre el gobierno del territorio. La economía global condiciona profundamente la organización en el espacio de las actividades productivas, los flujos comerciales y el desplazamiento de los individuos, y hace necesaria una reconfiguración de los equilibrios institucionales del territorio. Para confirmar su teoría, el autor toma en consideración las transformaciones que están teniendo lugar en las secciones administrativas de Sicilia en relación con los cambios acaecidos en la economía de la región, como caso emblemático de las transformaciones institucionales que se están sucediendo en Italia

Cultural and creative activities for touristic development of the inner areas in Sicily. The Ypsigrock Festival case-study

Le aree interne siciliane soffrono di disoccupazione, basso livello di sviluppo economico, spopolamento. Questi aspetti sono spesso il risultato del lento logoramento delle strutture sociali e della mancanza di capitale sociale. Gli autori studiano il quadro sociale ed economico di un'area interna speciale, l'Area Progetto Madonie, utilizzando le metodologie GIS e la Social Network Analysis (SNA). In particolare, sostengono che le attività culturali e creative, come l’Ypsigrock Festival nel Comune di Castelbuono, potrebbero contribuire a costruire le relazioni sociali e sviluppare il settore turistico, arrestando – o per lo meno rallentando – i processi di periferizzazione.The Sicilian inner areas suffer of unemployment, low level of economic development, depopulation. These aspects are often the results of the slow attrition of social structures and the lack of social capital. The authors study the social and economic framework of a special inner area, the Madonie Project Area, using the GIS methodologies and the Social Network Analysis (SNA). Particularly they argue that the cultural and creative activities, as the Ypsigrock Festival at Castelbuono Municipality, could contribute to build the social relations and to develop tourism, stopping – or slowing at least – the peripherization processes

Verso una gestione sostenibile del patrimonio culturale e paesaggistico. Intuizioni dal progetto NEPTIS

The attractiveness of a touristic area depends on the combination of "magnet resources" and other complementary resources. The authors applied the resource-based view approach to understand how a touristic district can enrich its attractiveness. Empirically, authors focus on the district of Sicilian Baroque. Authors also consider how informatics solutions - provided by NEPTIS Project - may increase the valorisation of magnet resources, such as the landscape and cultural heritage of the Baroque site

From crime to creativity: a possible cultural change in Agrigento area (Sicily)

Il contrasto al fenomeno della criminalità organizzata, oltre che dalle tradizionali forme di azione repressiva, passa anche dallo sviluppo di processi culturali e nuove attività economiche, frutto di nuovi investimenti imprenditoriali. Queste modalità di azione creativa appaiono particolarmente significative in quelle aree caratterizzate da condizione di arretratezza, marginalità e perifericità. Attraverso il caso studio del territorio di Agrigento, questo articolo offre degli spunti di riflessione su tali possibili modalità alternative di contrasto e, mediante anche la rappresentazione cartografica, mette a confronto due differenti dimensioni territoriali, cioè la presenza criminale e le potenzialità creative, evidenziando la necessità di ricercare nuove traiettorie di sviluppo per questi territori deboli e puntando con forza sullo sviluppo di processi di innovazione socio-culturale.The fight against the organized crime, in addition to traditional forms of repressive actions, also depends on the development of cultural processes and new economic activities resulting from new business investments. These forms of creative action appear particularly significant in those areas characterized by backwardness, marginality and peripherality. By focusing on the territory of Agrigento, this paper offers points for reflection about these alternative actions of contrast to crime and, also by means of cartographic representation, it compares two different characters of the territory, that is the criminal presence and the creative potential, by emphasising the importance to develop new paths of development strongly based on processes of sociocultural innovation