New processes of urbanization have recently led to a concentration of inhabitants in big cities and a consequent depopulation of marginal areas. In Italy, this phenomenon has also affected mountain regions, which are still facing dramatic depopulation and economic depression. The incapacity of public administrations to remedy this public problem has recently led to the introduction of new forms of collaborations with actors belonging to diverse jurisdictional areas (governmental institutions, private companies, no-profit organizations, and local communities). These forms of partnership can be defined as cross sector collaborations and, in the case of community involvement, can also be arranged as community-based enterprises (CBEs). In this paper, we investigate the capacity of CBEs to be an effective instrument for cross-sector collaboration in the field of urban regeneration. In particular, by applying a specific analysis model inspired by the framework elaborated by Bryson, Crosby, and Stone (2015), we analyze an Italian experience of community engagement promoted in Castel Del Giudice, a small town in the Southern Apennines. Through document analysis and an interview method, the paper gives a twofold contribution to the field. Firstly, it provides a rigorous exploration of the preconditions, processes, structures, and results of a successful case of cross-sector collaboration. Secondly, it offers elements to assess potentiality and points of criticisms of CBEs to promote urban regeneration policies. In this sense, we conclude that the creation of a community-based network represents a second level of cross sector-collaboration that can potentiate the capacity to pursue the community interest.
Critical perspectives on network governance in urban regeneration, community involvement and integration