A local authority governance model: the case of Parma and ‘MasterTown’

In recent decades, the role and power of local authorities in their relations with citizens has changed. Today, new competences and resources, not usually owned by local authorities, are being embedded into the decision-making process, which necessitates the involvement of local stakeholders. A set of different tools (public-private partnership, project financing, etc.) and purposes (urban renewal, territorial marketing, etc.) has been developed to improve this relationship. This paper presents the experience of Parma, an Italian municipality, where a project called ‘MasterTown’ has been developed with the aim of involving different stakeholders in identifying and planning urban renewal. Analysis shows four key factors for the success of MasterTown project: sharing competences and resources, involving citizens, finding alternative financial resources, and assessing social outcomes. The results could be useful to policy-makers in developing renewal processes meeting the needs of all local stakeholders.