Declinare l'Agenda 2030: Definizione di un approccio metodologico innovativo per la Valutazione ambientale strategica integrata nei processi di pianificazione urbanistica e territoriale

This doctoral research contributes to the body of studies on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), conceptualized as a critical instrument for steering decision-making processes toward sustainability. It seeks to translate the principles enshrined in the 2030 Agenda and in national and regional Sustainable Development Strategies into effective governance practices. The core objective is to develop and implement an innovative SEA methodology capable of substantively embedding the paradigm of sustainable development within urban and territorial planning frameworks. The 2030 Agenda, articulated through its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), introduces a transformative development paradigm that necessitates a reconfiguration of traditional decision-making logics. Within this context, SEA, originally conceived as an ex post evaluative tool, acquires strategic significance in orienting planning decisions toward sustainability objectives, as formalised in Italy by Legislative Decree No. 104/2017. Nevertheless, empirical practice reveals several critical shortcomings: the marginal strategic role of SEA within planning processes, the absence of a unified methodological approach, its limited practical application, and persistent challenges in integrating the SDGs effectively into policy and planning decisions. In response to these challenges, this research advances an innovative SEA model that is intrinsically integrated into the planning process. Grounded in the Logical Framework Approach, the model enables the systematic embedding of the sustainability paradigm into the strategic dimension of spatial plans in a substantively meaningful way, through a structured, hierarchical, and causally coherent framework. In addition, this structure supports the formulation of targeted indicators for monitoring and evaluation purposes. The model was developed and iteratively refined through an experiential learning process—commonly referred to as ‘learning by doing’—and tested on two real-world pilot cases: the Preliminary Environmental Report for the Municipal Urban Plan of Cagliari and the SEA of the Tepilora Regional Natural Park Plan. These case studies offered both theoretical and operational validation, demonstrating the model’s verifiability, adaptability, and replicability across heterogeneous, dynamic, and context-sensitive territorial settings.