Planning as an Action Framework for the Rural Tourism Integration Across Administrative Boundaries: A Comparative Study Based on Shanghai, China and Lombardy region, Italy

Abstract

Both Shanghai and Lombardy Region are metropolitan district with vast rural areas on the periphery. They provide a solid condition for agricultural development and have natural environments conducive to rural tourism. While the planning systems in Shanghai and Lombardy Metropolitan Region differ, both generally use administrative boundaries as the scope of planning. Due to the spatial characteristics of the contiguous rural areas, this often becomes obstacle for further integrated development.

At the planning level, both regions have explored integration or cooperation mechanism across administrative boundaries. For example, Italy's planning for "soft spaces" has promoted rural tourism to some extent. However, the cross-boundary integration mechanism primarily focuses on major infrastructure planning and land use control, rather than aspects closely related to the tourism, such as the utilization of agricultural landscape resources, landscape guiding, and preservation of cultural heritage. Additionally, the cross-administrative boundary planning integration mechanism tends to be applied only to areas with famous tourist attractions, lacking comprehensive coverage for other areas.

This research paper selects typical cases in Shanghai and Lombardy, identifies and analyzes planning issues related to rural tourism across administrative borders, figures out the existing problems, and proposes strategic suggestions for planning as an action framework. These suggestions aim to promote the regional rural tourism and facilitate its development in a more sustainable, inclusive, and humanistic manner.