The Territorialization of the 2030 Agenda and the Evolving Policy Framework for Sustainable Development in Italy : the Case of the Metropolitan City of Turin

This chapter analyses the territorialization of the 2030 Agenda in Italy, specifically in the Metropolitan City of Turin. It explores two instruments of metropolitan governance, the Metropolitan Strategic Plan of Turin (PSMTo 2021–2023) and the Metropolitan Agenda for Sustainable Development of Turin (AMSvSTo) to determine how territorialization is occurring from a procedural and substantive perspective. Using a multilevel logic of analysis, the chapter examines the interactions between different levels of government. At the national level, the work identifies a multilevel framework for sustainable development and mechanisms to encourage regions and metropolitan cities to contribute to the national vision. The chapter notes the significant influence of supranational organizations such as the United Nations and OECD, as well as the less explicit but efficient influence of the EU. The study highlights the success of involving the regions in developing regional strategies for sustainable development, but also notes the limited involvement of metropolitan cities in undertaking metropolitan agendas for sustainable development. The chapter concludes that the AMSvS has the potential to advance urban sustainability in Italian metropolitan areas through an integrated approach and collaborative governance, but it also faces challenges such as a lack of competences, personnel, and leadership, and the risk of redundancy. Finally, the study notes that the 2030 Agenda has incentivized the debate on a national urban agenda in Italy, but the country has yet to approve one despite the importance of urban policies and institutions in achieving SDGs. As for my contribution to the construction of the empirical data and the field research conducted for the development of the chapter, I was chiefly in charge of conducting interviews with qualified observers of the public policies under analysis. The conceptual framework is the outcome of a collaborative effort involving the analysis of relevant literature and available policy documentation. The collaboration with the co-authors is built on a track record of previous comparative European research projects.