Parco Aperto: a participatory process at Parco delle Gole della Breggia.

Participatory processes are a valuable resource for sustainably managing natural spaces, particularly in contexts of high environmental and social complexity. Research highlights that inclusive public deliberation enhances policy innovation and effectiveness by integrating collective intelligence across all policy-making stages (OECD, 2020). Such processes enable citizens to propose and refine ideas, helping institutions identify hidden challenges and gather innovative solutions, fostering legitimacy through diverse perspectives (Leal Garcia et al., 2023). This contribution examines a participatory process at Parco delle Gole della Breggia, in Ticino, an area of geological, ecological, and cultural value. It involved diverse actors - local administrations, associations, tourism operators, residents, and schools - to develop shared future scenarios. Strengths and weaknesses of this process (Fuji Johnson, 2015) in a context initially resistant to community involvement will be analyzed.