Tackling rural depopulation: the role of soft-governance planning tools in infrastructure development

In recent years, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, the debate on the quality of life in urban centers has intensified, shifting the attention also to peripheral territories, often characterized by depopulation, poor public services and low innovation. A new age is coming for the rebirth of these contexts through social, economic and cultural dynamics, as well as national and region- al policies of development, making them attractive for new inhabitants and investors. The article analyses how soft-governance planning strategies represent an efficient tool for this rebirth, focusing on methodologies that use an 'axis' as a negotiated programming tool. The first part examines the concepts of ‘region- al’ and 'soft governance' while the second part distinguishes between 'soft' and 'hard' infrastructures, assessing current or proposed policy instruments. Finally, are compared different approaches that promote participation and involvement, measuring their effectiveness in terms of social animation and participation in the planning processes of large areas in peripheral territories, trying to trace some common threads between different experiences.