Small and medium-sized towns in Italy: policy gaps and institutional challenges

Small and Medium-Sized Towns (SMSTs) represent crucial nodes in Italy’s polycentric structure, housing approximately 26% of the national population. While other European countries have implemented specific policies for SMSTs, Italy lacks dedicated instruments. This study employs Said’s framework of imaginative geographies to analyze how territorial representations influence policy formulation and implementation regarding Italian SMSTs. Through a mixed-method approach integrating institutional, cultural, and instrumental dimensions, the research reveals how the absence of dedicated SMST policies results from deeply rooted imaginative geographies that systematically privilege metropolitan areas or peripheral regions. The findings demonstrate a pattern of exclusion across all dimensions: institutionally, with 60% of SMSTs excluded from Metropolitan Cities; culturally, with dominant narratives favoring metropolitan areas or peripheral regions; and instrumentally, with limited inclusion in significant national territorial policies. The study contributes to the literature by extending the application of imaginative geographies to Italian territorial policy analysis, offering the first systematic multi-dimensional analysis of Italian SMSTs’ position within the territorial policy framework and empirically demonstrating how territorial representations influence policy outcomes. The research concludes by proposing the development of new spatial imaginaries recognizing Italy’s urban system complexity and SMSTs’ strategic role.