The Role of Food Plans and Strategies in Shaping Creative Food Spaces in Italy

The article aims at improving the understanding of the contribution of food plans in the transition towards more sustainable food systems. The research presents the results of a survey of all the food plans developed until today in Italy. The methodology is based on a documentary analysis according to which an analytical framework was built to investigate geographies, visions, and objectives of the plans; the governance mechanisms, policies, and actions to achieve these objectives; the actors involved in the decision-making process; and the relations with statutory planning policies. A specific focus is oriented to investigate if and how the plans interpret food as a resource able to produce positive impacts on the economic and environmental sustainability of the food system. Although food plans have triggered a process of cultural and institutional enhancement allowing to coordinate and integrate different policies, the research has shown that most of them have not found effective applications and created good performance results.