How the EU regional policy can shape urban change in Southern Europe: learning from different planning processes in Palermo

The article provides an interpretation of the role played by the EU regional policy in the process of urban change experienced in Palermo, the fifth Italian city by population and capital of one of the largest Europe’s less developed regions (Sicily). Through an analysis of various EU-funded planning initiatives implemented over the last two decades – from the Urban Community Initiative in the late nineties to the current Integrated Territorial Investments under the 2014–2020 urban agenda –, the work explores their effects from three main perspectives: urban regen- eration, local governance, and planning innovation.