Implications of governance structures on urban climate action: evidence from Italy and Spain

The document examines the impact of governance structures on urban climate action in Italy and Spain, comparing a top-down approach in Spain with a more reactive, bottom-up approach in Italy. It finds that while national and regional frameworks often fail to sufficiently support cities, transnational networks like the Covenant of Mayors (CoM) are pivotal in driving the development of local mitigation plans. In Spain, the Central Government's collaborative efforts were partially diluted by regional 'gatekeepers', whereas in Italy, the lack of national guidance led proactive cities to rely on networks and EU projects. Both countries show a strong focus on mitigation (energy and transport) but a significant deficiency in local adaptation planning.

• The Covenant of Mayors (CoM) has been a decisive factor in encouraging municipalities in both Italy and Spain to develop local mitigation plans, providing visibility and facilitating access to European funding.
• In Italy, the National Government's delayed action and lack of explicit urban climate objectives led to a bottom-up approach where proactive cities relied on networks and EU projects to develop policies.
• Spain's Central Government adopted a collaborative top-down approach between 2004 and 2011, creating arenas like the National Climate Council (CNC) to involve regions and cities in meeting international commitments.
• Spanish Autonomous Communities often act as 'gatekeepers', meaning the Central Government's climate guidelines are not always directly transposed to the local level, which can limit the effectiveness of national efforts.
• There is a significant gap in climate adaptation planning at the urban level in both countries, likely due to a lack of technical know-how and a national/regional policy focus that prioritizes mitigation over adaptation.
• Local mitigation plans in both countries are heavily skewed toward energy efficiency and transport, often neglecting urban planning as a tool for transitioning to low-carbon development models.
• In Italy, the 'Charter of cities and territories’ commitments to climate protection' represents a significant bottom-up effort by cities, provinces, and regions to influence national policy and mainstream climate action in spatial planning.

APA

Hurtado, S. D. G., Olazabal, M., Salvia, M., Pietrapertosa, F., Olazabal, E., Geneletti, D., D’Alonzo, V., Feliú, E., Di Leo, S., & Reckien, D. (2014). Implications of governance structures on urban climate action: evidence from Italy and Spain. Basque Centre for Climate Change. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20140326121836233017175.pdf

Chicago

Hurtado, Sonia De Gregorio, Marta Olazabal, Monica Salvia, Filomena Pietrapertosa, Eduardo Olazabal, Davide Geneletti, Valentina D’Alonzo, et al. Implications of governance structures on urban climate action: evidence from Italy and Spain. Basque Centre for Climate Change, 2014. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20140326121836233017175.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hurtado |first1=Sonia De Gregorio |last2=Olazabal |first2=Marta |last3=Salvia |first3=Monica |last4=Pietrapertosa |first4=Filomena |last5=Olazabal |first5=Eduardo |last6=Geneletti |first6=Davide |last7=D’Alonzo |first7=Valentina |last8=Feliú |first8=Efrén |last9=Di Leo |first9=Senatro |display-authors=etal |title=Implications of governance structures on urban climate action: evidence from Italy and Spain |publisher=Basque Centre for Climate Change |date=March 2014 |url=https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20140326121836233017175.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hurtado2014implications, author = {Hurtado, Sonia De Gregorio and Olazabal, Marta and Salvia, Monica and Pietrapertosa, Filomena and Olazabal, Eduardo and Geneletti, Davide and D’Alonzo, Valentina and Feliú, Efrén and Di Leo, Senatro and Reckien, Diana}, title = {{Implications of governance structures on urban climate action: evidence from Italy and Spain}}, institution = {Basque Centre for Climate Change}, year = {2014}, month = mar, url = {https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20140326121836233017175.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }