Public consensus and planners’ expertise: A twofold problem for Italian planning law

This paper deals with issues raised by proposals for a new Italian planning law put forward by the Italian Planning Institute (INU). The ideas presented by the INU are innovative, both from the strategic and operational planning standpoint. Unfortunately, the proposed law does not address the problem of integrating the roles played by public planners and private citizens in making planning law effective through public management and community consensus. The paper provides a critical discussion of the problems raised by the proposal, and concludes by emphasising the opportunités offered by the proposed new law.