DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

PHASE 1. PLANNING AND STRUCTURING OF THE DESIGN PROCESS FOR THE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

Insights from the case-study Suggested actions

MAIN ACTORS Self-assessment questions

The planning phase coincides with the structuring of the design process and its governance that will lead to the final definition, approval and implementation of the strategy. The sharing of the motivation highlighted above brought together local institutional with social and economic actors, demonstrating a strong joint collective commitment, namely: - Institutional actors such as the local associations of municipalities and the mayors of the municipalities; - Chamber of Commerce of Reggio Emilia; - Enterprises, primarily local cooperative dairies; - Community Co-operatives; - Research and technical assistance centres; - National technical committee of experts and consultants.  Identify and engage actors and organizations in your local territory belonging from different sectors and fields of expertise which have or have the potential to share a common vision of sustainable local development and which might have potential to collaborate.

 Assign the political leadership to a strong committed mayor or civil servant.  Who are the active (potential) institutional, social and productive actors in your local community?

 Which actors can take a stable and committed leadership of the process?

 Which actors can provide technical assistance?

MAIN RESOURCES

The Reggio Emilia Chamber of Commerce and the cooperative dairies contributed financially to the design phase of the Strategy. The human and social capital provided by all key actors involved, as well as the strong cohesion and alignment among them, have been fundamental to the process. The actors identified the necessary specific competences concerning the 5 thematic lines of the Strategy: agri-food, mobility, health, education, sustainable tourism. In-depth technical assistance was provided by local and national technical experts.  Ensure that all necessary expertise is available for the design phase of the Strategy by contacting technical experts at local and national level.

 Identify the financial resources to cover the costs envisaged during the design process.  Are the actors willing to cooperate in finding and providing all the necessary human and financial resources?

 Do the actors already have the necessary specific technical competences and expertise?

 If not, is it possible to find financial resources for technical assistance?

The actors wanted a wide institutional involvement, trying to identify the most appropriate dimension for the intervention considering the available resources and the main critical issues. This was done through an institutional process that involved all the mayors of the local associations of municipalities (Mountain Union of Municipalities). An initial outline of the Strategy was established, identifying some key elements: the core centrality around Mountain Parmigiano Reggiano as a local product with high added value; the identification of the main issues to be tackled concerning mobility, health, education, on the basis of a needs assessment. The actors then started to identify some project ideas to solve the present problems, choosing to adopt a bottom-up process open to citizens' participation. The draft ideas were sent to the Regional government and the Technical Committee for Inner Areas.  Involve all interested local institutions in the design phase, identifying the most appropriate target area for the strategy.

 Establish a clear allocation of resources.

 Establish the basic principles of territorial planning, starting with the identification of the pivotal asset(s) around which the development strategy should be based.

 Share with authorities at regional and national level the guiding ideas for promoting structural change related to both essential services and local economic development.  Is there a willingness on the part of local authorities to act on these issues?

 Has the project identified a specific target area for the strategy, also based on the availability of resources?

 What can be the founding principles of the territorial strategy?

 Which assets can represent the main pivotal element of the strategy?

MAIN ACTIVITIES