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Theoretics and Methodology

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River Contracts and Integrated Water Management in Europe

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Abstract

Since 2000 in Europe an integrated management framework has been developed to innovate exploitation and safeguard of water resources. In this context the EU Water Framework Directive has identified the hydrographic basin as the optimal territorial unit for promoting new participatory policies, based both on the interaction of stakeholders and the coordination of sectorial instruments. In this scenario, river contracts assumed a strategic role both in addressing these purposes and supporting the dialogue and integration between interests of public and private stakeholders. This chapter illustrates the theoretical and methodological framework, and the comparative approach on which the research work has been based to evaluate the effectiveness of river contracts and their relationships with urban and territorial planning.

The care of rivers is not a question of rivers,

but of the human heart.

Tanako Shozo

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Maria Laura Scaduto

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  1. Maria Laura Scaduto
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Correspondence to Maria Laura Scaduto .

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Scaduto, M.L. (2016). Theoretics and Methodology. In: River Contracts and Integrated Water Management in Europe. UNIPA Springer Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42628-0_1

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