Reflecting on SEA’s Usefulness: A Case Study on Italy

Paola Gazzola and Alessandro Rinaldi ()
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Paola Gazzola: Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE1 7RU, UK
Alessandro Rinaldi: Department of Planning, Design and Technology of Architecture Sapienza University of Rome, Pizzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy

Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), 2016, vol. 18, issue 04, 1-24

Abstract: According to the published literature, for Strategic environment assessment (SEA) to make a meaningful difference, it should be integrated into planning processes. Yet, in situations and contexts where the two processes appear to be disjointed, SEA could be applied upon conclusion of the plan-making process justifying decisions already made, or just before a decision can be made to comply with existing legal requirements. Where this is the case, then what is SEA really for? This paper aims to reflect on the usefulness of SEA, and explore whether a shift of focus from actual effectiveness to perceived effectiveness could help further legitimise the need for SEA. This is done by looking at SEA practice in Italy as a case study, as the country’s diverse regional setup presents situations in which SEA may appear to be avoided because being perceived as not very useful or where SEA may appear to be functioning and actually effective.

Keywords: Usefulness; actual effectiveness; perceived effectiveness; SEA; Italian regions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1142/S1464333216500216

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