Despite increasing convergence on the social learning concept as a theoretical foundation of collaborative practices for water governance, this article shows the pitfalls of its uncritical application as a normative ideal. The discussion is based on the analysis of a community-based initiative for water supply and slum upgrading in India, which is considered a best practice of good governance due to its collaborative approach. A different interpretation of the project is proposed through the analysis of its successes and failures from a community perspective. Finally, a recommendation for context-specific selection of theoretical bases for participatory practices is made.

The paper proposes and tests a framework for the analysis of innovation dynamics in urban regeneration by combining established frameworks from the field of urban studies with a model known as Multi-Level Perspective. This allows the acknowledgement of socio-technical dimensions of innovations besides the socio-political one and contributes to overcome a linear perception of innovations by emphasising a co-evolutionary and multi-level perspective. The framework is applied to the analysis of an extensive policy promoted since 2006 by the Apulia regional government, Italy, aiming to improve the quality of life in deprived neighbourhoods. The policy, which involved more than one hundred municipalities, tried to introduce a new integrated and participatory area-based approach into a (weak) tradition of urban renewal policies centred on physical and functional aspects. A discussion of its achievements and failures sheds light on innovation dynamics as well as on key leverages and barriers to change.

While climate change urges cities to define appropriate strategies for climate adaptation, urban planning practices are still unable to encompass a broader understanding of hydraulic hazards and to exploit the mitigation potential of nature-based solutions (NBS) for stormwater management. This inability is particularly deep in the Italian context, where the integration of climate adaptation strategies within urban planning is very limited; thus, one of the planner’s overriding needs is to determine where NBS can be most effective. The objective of this paper is to identify key drivers and tools for the introduction of hydrological resilience assessments and sustainable storm water management in urban planning practices, as a contribution to climate adaptation strategies. Through a case study in the city of Bari, the paper proposes a method for identifying the most suitable urban areas for implementing NBS, i.e., areas where NBS are able to intercept runoff. On the other hand, the same approach allows one to evaluate in advance the impact of urban planning choices, or rather of the planned land use change. Finally, the planning tools that may favor the adoption of a NBS approach in urban planning are analyzed, with particular reference to the territorial landscape plan of the Apulia region and urban regeneration plans.