From participatory processes to systemic transformation: A service design perspective on four Italian case studies.

Participatory Processes (PPs) are increasingly fostering broader civic engagement, strengthening dialogue and collaboration between citizens, the third sector and public institutions. However, a gap persists between participatory aspirations and their implementation, limiting the capacity of processes to generate durable transformations in local governance structures and public service innovation. Employing a qualitative-comparative methodology, based on stakeholder mapping and service-ecosystem lens, the study analyses four novel cases involving green and peri-urban transformations across diverse Italian regions. By operating under diverse administrative frameworks, they present fertile ground for illustrating complementary and mutually reinforcing PPs. Through a Service Design lens, recurring patterns and mechanisms of public-private co-management are analysed, highlighting the conditions that can enhance or constrain participatory efficacy. Given that participatory practices unfold across multiple interdependent dimensions and evolve over time, authors indicate that SD interventions have the potential to infrastructure-level systemic changes at both local and cross-regional scales.