Urbanization and Tourism on the Abruzzo's Coast

The purpose of this paper is a comparative analysis of the urban planning policies of the small towns that dot the Abruzzo segment of the middle-Adriatic coast.The study was based on the assumption that, even though all of the small towns subject of the analysis have a high potential for tourism development (they are all located by the sea and in pleasant surroundings, their hospitality costs are relatively low, they are near attractive sightseeing locations such as mountain parks and art-filled cities, have a highly developed food culture and a strong handicraft tradition, etc. ), this potential is not being exploited.The analysis has shown that the failure to seize these development opportunities can be attributed to several, fairly heterogeneous factors:1.The towns were settled relatively recently (between the early 1900s and the period immediately following the Second World War); 2.Even though the towns are located by the sea, their identity is not defined by it, but rather by the farming communities on the nearby hills, of which they are extension;3.Such farm-based identity is not readily identifiable when it is transplanted to a different location;4.A farm-based identity is closely linked with the ethos of “amoral familism” developed by Banfield, according to which people, particularly in Southern Italy, are not inclined to act together for their common good, choosing instead to exclusively promote and protect their families;5.The urban planning policies pursued by the local public administrations failed to provide any continuity of the farm-based identity, producing instead examples of a modernization without roots that, in some instances, are consistent with Marc Augé’s definition of a “non-place;”6.Lastly, the approach chosen by the local public administrations represents an extension of the sharecropping tradition of Southern Italy’s farming communities, in that it perpetuates a failure to empower individuals to address environmental and community issues.In other words, these small towns do not seem to have clear identities — this is another instance in which the issue is identities in the plural — with less than positive consequences on tourism. This is because the amenities that they can offer are not clearly defined (people do not understand what exactly they would be visiting) and, more importantly, are not consistent with the most recent developments of demand in the tourism industry: sustainability, authenticity, environmentalism, etc.With regard to the latter issue, the role played by local public administrations in choosing a certain type of urban planning policies is particularly significant. Specifically, while in historical towns and communities that are otherwise significant historically or archeologically urban planning is subject to the restrictions of special laws (what can be torn down, what can be built or renovated and how), in the new areas along the coast individual local administrations have enjoyed substantial leeway in the projects they pursue.In fact, a comparative analysis of the different master plans that govern the urbanization of small towns along the Abruzzo segment of the Adriatic coast showed that there are very significant differences between the various locations in terms of the choices made with regard to the availability of public parks and bicycle paths, building aesthetics and similar issues, and, more in general, in terms of the quality of life both of residents and tourists.[...]