Abstract

This article analyses the Regione Lombardia experience of governance in the local welfare system, through the adoption of a specific instrument of planning called «Piano di Zona». This kind of planning has arrived at its fifth triennial scheduling. For this reason it seems to be interesting to proceed with an in depth analysis of the evolution of this governance instrument, which is able to relate all the elements that compose the local welfare system. The focus is the planning experience in Regione Lombardia. The article will first of all outlines the normative and theoretical framework which defines the Piano di Zona; after this it will examines the evolution of this experience within Lombardia in order to define the main elements that explained the Piani di Zona political evolution in the last years. In the final part, the article will focus on the last planning (2015-2017) in order to enlighten the main policy indications expressed by Regione Lombardia and explain the fundamental changes of the 2015-2017 planning compared to the previous experiences. This will allow us to understand the new and fundamental role that will be played by Piani di Zona in Lombardia's governance structure.