Evaluation Approach to the Integrated Valorization of Territorial Resources: The Case Study of the Tyrrhenian Area of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria.

The paper deals with the topic of integrated territorial valorizationstrategies, presenting the first step of a research project on the case study of theTyrrhenian area of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. In a theoreticalview that leads to rethinking European development models in areas characterizedby considerable marginality, the paper copes with the weakness/opportunities of lagging areas and the vision of the territory as a system ofsocial, cultural, economic, and natural features. The methodology is based onthe definition of evaluative tools enabling the identification of effective andcoherent concepts for understanding, and planning to enhance, territorialattractiveness. This preliminary stage of the project aims to verify the preconditionsfor the establishment of a local, attractive system, combining socioeconomicanalysis, identification of thematic attractors, and the study of financialterritorial allocation. The paper’s results contribute to the scientific debate on therole of the “knowledge phase” in the dynamics of sustainable development,highlighting critical elements and opportunities for implementing an integratedvalorization strategy of the case-study area.