Revitalizing rural areas: a comparative analysis of place-based approaches in the United States and Italy

John Accordino, Alice Barreca, Diana Rolando · 2026 · Planning Practice and Research

Summary. The US Main Street Program and Italy's National Strategy for Inner Areas both revitalize declining rural communities through place-based approaches centered on historic heritage. Despite similar goals, they differ significantly in how they define place, target areas, and engage stakeholders. The paper analyzes each program's achievements and limitations, then recommends how each could strengthen its rural development effectiveness by adopting practices from the other.

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@article{accordino-2026-revitalizing-rural-areas-comparative-analysis,
  title   = {Revitalizing rural areas: a comparative analysis of place-based approaches in the United States and Italy},
  author  = {John Accordino and Alice Barreca and Diana Rolando},
  journal = {Planning Practice and Research},
  year    = {2026},
  doi     = {10.1080/02697459.2026.2669309},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1080/02697459.2026.2669309}
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Revitalizing rural areas: a comparative analysis of place-based approaches in the United States and Italy
AU  - John Accordino
AU  - Alice Barreca
AU  - Diana Rolando
JO  - Planning Practice and Research
PY  - 2026
DO  - 10.1080/02697459.2026.2669309
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1080/02697459.2026.2669309
ER  - 

Details

DOI

10.1080/02697459.2026.2669309

Countries

United States, Italy

Regions

North America, Europe

Categories

policy, regional-innovation-systems, general-innovation

Added

2026-09-01