Supporting Sustainability: The Case Study of the Abruzzo Regional Sustainable Development Strategy

The concept of sustainable development, catalyzed by global initiatives such as the Millennium Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda’s sustainable development goals (SDGs), has reshaped international cultural, political, and social thinking. Recognizing the pivotal role of subnational entities in achieving these goals, there is an increasing emphasis on aligning sustainability objectives with local strategies and actions. In Italy, the National Strategy for Sustainable Development (NSSD) entails a concerted effort to coordinate national and local initiatives, promoting collaboration across governmental and non-governmental sectors. Nevertheless, one of the main challenges is still the integration of sustainable development principles into regional and provincial planning processes. This study focuses on the analytical and programmatic steps that supported the integration of sustainable development objectives into the Abruzzo regional sustainable development strategy (RSSD). Through projects resulting from different agreements between the Abruzzo region and the Department of Civil, Construction-Architectural and Environmental Engineering (DICEAA) of the University of L'Aquila, a series of tools and guidelines have been developed. Specifically, the main outcomes of the “Review of the system of regional indicators in the context of the implementation of regional strategies for sustainable development” and the “Sustainability, Resilience, adaptation for the protection of ecosystems and physical reconstruction in Central Italy” (Sost.EN.&Re) projects have been deepened. The result is a regional strategy for sustainable development enriched by the most recent approaches and methodologies in the field of sustainable planning.