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ANNALISA CONTATO

Intermunicipal Co-operation in Marginal Territories for the Rebalancing of Territorial Gaps. The Sicani Area in Sicily (Italy)

Abstract

The scientific debate in the field of territorial policies shows a renewed interest in marginal territories as hybrid contexts that need to raise awareness of hidden qualities in order to re-balance existing territorial gaps. Starting from the framework of the B4R Branding4Resilience research project of national interest, the contribution of the University of Palermo explores the Sicani Area in Sicily (Italy) as a paradigmatic case of marginality for which territorial branding strategies need to be developed. The paper discusses case study analyses and the results of the co-visioning phase of the research project: a process of strategic spatial visioning to recompose the existing system of relationships in a coherent territorial vision, identify a branding strategy and show that effective cooperation and networking can represent the path to development that can lead marginal territories out of isolation. The work in the Sicani Focus Area in Sicily provides a framework that can support administrations in the formulation of development strategies and policies.