Measuring the performance of planning: the conformance of Italian landscape planning practices with the European Landscape Convention

The assessment of the performance of planning is debated. The evaluation of the conformance of a given national planning system with a set of principles is similarly received with critical and favourable remarks. A relevant case study consists of the conformance of European landscape planning practice with the principles of the European Landscape Convention. Italy incorporated in 2004 the principles of the European Landscape Convention with the Code on Cultural Assets and Landscape, which opened the way for new laws, tools, observatories and atlases. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the usefulness of an assessment exercise concerning the conformance with the European Landscape Convention of planning practice in Italy. We scrutinise planning systems and tools established by peripheral administrations, according to a qualitative and comparative framework. We refine our analysis by focussing on ten most recent cases and identify critical issues in current landscape planning practice. The results are promising and show that landscape planning in Italy is increasingly in line with the European Landscape Convention.