Governing socio-ecological transition in an industrial city: public institutions' prominence and the risk of a top-down process.

Abstract

This article examines the governance of the socio-ecological transition in the industrial city of Taranto (Italy) as it strives to move beyond its historical dependence on the steel industry and towards a more sustainable model of development. Based on the qualitative evidence, the article shows the protagonism of local public institutions, namely, the Puglia Region and the Municipality of Taranto. Through a mix of ideational, political, and economic mechanisms, local public institutions have adopted a post-industrial economic model and articulated a vision for Taranto's transition aligned with a green growth perspective. While positively valuing the unprecedented effort toward the diversification of the area's economy and society, the local public-led governance raises concerns regarding administrative capacity, the extent of social participation, and the extent to which alternative perspectives are incorporated to achieve its ambition of a just socio-economic transformation toward climate neutrality. The article seeks to deepen understanding of urban and regional transformation driven by the ecological transition in industrial areas and offers an original contribution to the literature on Taranto by moving beyond the predominantly industrial perspective to examine the broader territorial and urban governance arrangements, as well as the socio-economic dynamics underpinning the transition.