Trading with enemies? The trading zone approach in successful planning processes in Sicily

This essay examines two cases of successful planning in Sicily, within a southern Italy context characterized by a high level of social fragmentation, a strong territorial relevance of the Mafia, widespread corruption and incapacity of public action, and a general absence of Civil Society. In both cases, planners revised their approach to problem-solving, thereby “developing new procedures and terms to address the complex and specific problems they were tackling” (Fuller 2006, p.51). This paper interprets these cases as an example of TZ, whereby planning tools were able to effect a positive change for cities, places, and practices. Two cases do not constitute a “regularity” (Galison 1999, p.18), although the “thinness” of their success in such ‘extreme contexts’ prompts us to explore the processes that unfolded within the “thickness” of the established culture, with its norms of domination, individualism, and ‘particularism’. It seems important to understand what has really been done here and how different actors with apparently irreconcilable differences and interests have cooperated and achieved surprisingly good results in urban planning. To further this, the aim is to contribute to planning theories and practices, and to understand how the TZ approach could enhance the capacity of urban governance in these difficult and ‘extreme’ contexts; it will not only contribute to the current lexicon of planning theories and practices, but also help establish new strategies 'to encourage positive outcomes' in multiple urban contexts.