Maria Laura Scaduto

Theoretics and Methodology

Since 2000 in Europe an integrated management framework has been developed to innovate exploitation and safeguard of water resources. In this context the EU Water Framework Directive has identified the hydrographic basin as the optimal territorial unit for promoting new participatory policies, based both on the interaction of stakeholders and the coordination of sectorial instruments. In this scenario, river contracts assumed a strategic role both in addressing these purposes and supporting the dialogue and integration between interests of public and private stakeholders. This chapter illustrates the theoretical and methodological framework, and the comparative approach on which the research work has been based to evaluate the effectiveness of river contracts and their relationships with urban and territorial planning.

Comparative Analysis Between France and Italy

In this chapter, the role of river contracts in European and national water policies has been analyzed, by observing the two paradigmatic contexts of France and Italy. The comparative analysis undertaken both with respect to the experiences of water management policies and river contracts, allows to more deeply assess the governance processes of water resources and understand their political, legal and socio economic scopes. In addition, the comparison of these two national contexts has highlighted the opportunities for actual integration between practices of urban and territorial planning, and water management policies. The analysis has been specifically focused on the respective normative frameworks, water management tools, actors involved, and varying territorial and administrative structures.

Final Considerations and Open Scenarios

European river contract experiences demonstrate a growing integration between these contractual agreements and the other instruments of water resources management, and urban and territorial planning. Therefore, river contracts represent innovative places for a new governance of river ecosystems and territories, also in compliance with subsidiarity principle. The twofold nature of these contractual agreements—technical dimension and concertative approach—together with their expected wide evolution, allow to identify river contracts not only as sectoral tools for water resource protection and management, but also as catalysts of a new culture of water, recalling the deep interrelationships existing between hydrography, hydrogeology, ecology, sociology, economics, public health and cultural values.

River Contracts for Innovation in Territorial Governance

Emerged in France in 1980s as agreements oriented to the requalification of rivers and lakes, river contracts represent an important outcome of the decentralization process, developed in Europe in reply to the growing institutional fragmentation. In this scenario, rivers have become a dialectic arena in which the exploitation and management of water resources came to terms with environmental instances, and offered the breeding ground for concerted efforts between policy makers, stakeholders and communities. In this chapter, the analysis is focused on the river contract model and the related set of instruments capable of supporting concerted and participatory management processes both with respect to European and national policy frameworks, and the integration with urban an territorial planning.