The Limits of Planning: Avoidance, Concealment, and Refusal of Religious Diversity in Northeast Italy

In Italy, the religious cityscape appears singularly homogeneous, with a Christian-Catholic predominance that fails to reflect the country's increasingly heterogeneous population. Facing the disconnection, this study makes enquiries into the administration's methods of handling new claims for religious space, and questions whether planning - as currently configured in Italy - can contribute to the formation of different, more diverse, cities. The findings suggest that public administrations perceive non-Catholic places of worship as something to avoid or conceal, if not openly refuse; and planning, due to technical, cultural, and political limitations, supports this modus operandi, contributing to the creation of conflicting tracks of recognition and legitimacy among religious groups.