Patterns of Integrated Planning and Development of Agricultural Districts in Calabria: a Case Study Giuseppe Critelli 1,a , Cosimo Cuomo 2,b , Vincenzo Mancuso 3,c and Claudio Marcianò 4,d 1 PAU Department, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, Salita Melissari - 89124 Reggio Calabria, Italy 2 Department of Labor Policies and Labor Market, Calabria Region, Via Lucrezia della Valle - 88100 Catanzaro, Italy 3 Consultant for the Regional Commission against undeclared work, Via Monte San Michele n.3 87100 Cosenza, Italy 4 Agraria Department, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, Feo de Vito, 89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy a giuseppe.critelli@unirc.it, b c.cuomo@regcal.it, c gvmancuso@gmail.com, d claudio.marciano@unirc.it Keywords: Integrated planning, Agro-Food Districts, Rural Districts. Abstract. In the last years it has grown the interest toward new forms of governance and integrated planning of the rural space. Among these, in Italy, there is a growing interest toward the definition of Rural Districts (DIRU) and Quality Agro-food District (DAQ), two innovative instruments that can play a major role in the development of the rural and agro-food economy. The paper points out the strategies defined for the development of a DIRU and a DAQ in a Calabrian area that has experienced over the years several forms of integrated planning. Introduction The current economic model, referable to the “New Knowledge Economy”[1], is substantially founded on the industries at high intensity of knowledge, which have even more economic relevance than the traditional industrial sectors of mass production [2]. This new approach affects, for different reasons, the farming and agro-food sector, where they stand out more and more the messages of the “product of quality" [3]. These typologies of product are identified in the productions of Denomination of Origin, the main features of which are the quality and the identity of a certain place, strong reference in a perspective of local development. The local development is one of the key concepts of the economic and social research of the last years, a concept which encloses a variety of meanings, above all linked to the identity of a territory [4]. In this context, it has come out that, among the instruments for the local development in the farming and agro-food field, both the district typologies of Rural District (DIRU) and Quality Agro-Food District (DAQ), represent two innovative instruments of governance and integrated territorial planning that can play an important role in the development of rural and agro-food economy in Italy [5]. The DIRU represents an innovative instrument and can be considered an advanced model of development and support to the rural economy, because it succeeds in being an instrument of synthesis for all those processes of development of a certain local system of rural type which goes towards what it can be defined as “modern rurality”. Similarly, the DAQ too intends to give light again to the “centrality of the territory”, through the realization of a whole strategic area design addressed towards the building of a governance, inside which it is possible to concentrate and integrate the organizational efforts and the own instruments of the local development. The present study summarizes the strategies of development and valorization adopted by the Lametina area of Calabria Region, South Italy, outlined to encourage the institution of a DIRU in the Reventino montainous area, and a DAQ in the lowland territories around the city of Lamezia. Advanced Engineering Forum Vol. 11 (2014) pp 410-416 Online: 2014-06-06 © (2014) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AEF.11.410 All rights reserved. No part of contents of this paper may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of Trans Tech Publications, www.ttp.net. (ID: 193.204.245.178-08/09/15,18:01:02)