Cities: drivers of change
Not only is the urbanization boom showing no sign of slowing down, but by 2050, 66% of the world population is expected to be living (…)Cities: drivers of change
The water industry
The water industry is strategic to the future of Italy from the point of view not only of the economy but also of the country’s resilience to the increasingly complex challenges posed by the climate crisis.
Italy’s New Procurement Code
The Procurement Code is an extremely important body of legislation for today’s Italy, especially in light of the efforts required of the country by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The code’s reform, outlined in law no. 78/2022, contains some significant additions, the first and most prominent of which concerns the role of the State Council directly charged with drafting the text, and not only as a mere panel of experts.
The future of the automotive industry: between innovation and transition
The changes underway in the automotive sector today are almost unique to that industry, in that they originate externally.
Aspen Collective Mind Seminar – Policies for relaunching the South
A nighttime satellite view of the European continent shows Italy, unlike all the other countries, as clearly divided in two: a brightly illuminated center-north – (…)Aspen Collective Mind Seminar – Policies for relaunching the South
Infrastructures to drive competitiveness, resilience and innovation
Large-scale events are undoubtedly an opportunity to plan medium to long-term infrastructure investments. Similarly, the PNRR can be viewed as a sort of large-scale event ready to reap the benefits of Italy’s experience hosting past events, with keen attention to both positive and negative results.
Urban renewal: public and private partnerships
Urban renewal continues to pose a pivotal challenge to cities around the world, which have various models from which to choose: from salvaging abandoned industrial (…)Urban renewal: public and private partnerships
The future of mobility. Between energy transitions and value chains
The so-called “dual revolution” – digital and ecological – has begun, and is having a direct impact on the automotive sector and the entire industry it encompasses. The process combines global international commitments with specific political choices at European level even ahead of national level. The overall global context and the instability caused by the Ukraine war have inevitably complicated an already very complex transition.
The greater city: connected, attractive, sustainable
Fears of urban crisis stoked during the most difficult months of the pandemic have not borne fruit. Indeed, revived economic and social activities are rekindling the vitality of cities, yet the change due to significant lifestyle interruptions is inexorable. The need has emerged, first of all, to redistribute and reconfigure urban density: the de-synchronization of rhythms consequent to social distancing has eliminated rush-hour congestion and made public transportation more efficient.
Digital infrastructure and technology: innovation and sustainability
What was already an ongoing digital revolution accelerated with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, foregrounding it as a concern. Indeed, people in their daily lives and businesses have been inundated with digital-driven processes that are often taken for granted and in need of proper governance. As with all changes, the digital revolution is capable of generating unity and inclusion but can also divide and exclude. In that sense, the two principle perspectives from which to examine it are culture and infrastructure.
Making the most of Italy’s energy resources
The focus of both the G20 in Rome in October and of the COP26 in Glasgow in November was the energy transition. Italy continues to be an active participant in a debate that sheds light on the fact that the transition is not only energy-related, but also an economic, financial, social and cultural one.
Climate change: the COP26 challenge
The COP26 offers a crucial window of opportunity in the struggle against climate change. After the G20 in Naples, the Glasgow conference under the Italian and British presidency will be a moment for the world’s most prominent economies to scrutinize fulfillment of the 2015 Paris Accord pledges and discuss future steps.
Urban renewal: physical and psychological well-being in cities
The post-pandemic recovery, along with a rising awareness of the need for ecological and digital transitions, are speeding up urban renewal. Ongoing transformations are made more complex by the profound changes ushered in by new technologies and their pivotal importance during periods of social distancing. The most important of these is surely an exponential increase in the use of teleworking, which has altered urban geographies and set a new tipping point between real and virtual.
Infrastructure for smart and resilient cities
The Smart City is an urban model that for some time now has been studied and applied in various parts of the world. The ecological and digital transitions that will be guiding the post-pandemic recovery, however, make investing in this model even more important. The emergency associated with the spread of the virus has highlighted how the possession and best use of data – i.e. the intelligence of a given urban area – are key to ensuring not only cities’ recovery but also their resilience in the face of possible future adversity.
The future of the city: tomorrow is already yesterday
The health emergency of recent months has changed the needs of citizens, particularly as regards their way of living in cities and private homes. These changes have to do with multiple aspects of the urban environment. They can be traced to the influence of transversal themes that include the “green revolution”, digital development, new forms of socializing stemming from virus containment measures and changes in infrastructure.
Post pandemic mobility: flexible, integrated, sustainable
Mobility is one of the key concerns in the post-Covid recovery. The pandemic that has forced millions to stay at home for extended periods of time has surely changed habits, and the consequences of this are likely to last well into the future. This is true both from the standpoint of work arrangements – with companies already predicting significant future reductions in hours spent in the office – and with regards to leisure activity and consumption. Flexibility in the use of public spaces and an increased dependence on home deliveries are becoming part of the new normal.
For a sustainable recovery of Italy
Not just a flash in the pan, but a medium to long term boon: the post-pandemic recovery could be described in terms of strategic factors such as economic, social, environmental and institutional sustainability. In other words, the basic points of the European Commission’s 2030 agenda, which the Italian government has taken as the basis for its National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).
The labor market after the pandemic
The covid-19 pandemic has been an extraordinary accelerator of trends already begun prior to the emergency. During the March 2020 lockdown, progress was made regarding the Italian labor market in just a few weeks. In terms of digitalization, the resilience of organizational models, and the spread of specific skills, this transition would otherwise have taken decades.
Post-pandemic cities: urban development and hierarchies
Cities are an essential element in the history of humanity. First appearing approximately 10,000 years ago, they have survived an infinity of catastrophic events and managed to regroup and carry on developing. While the Covid pandemic is not the first event of its kind to affect that development, it does represent a turning point for urban areas by calling into question their role as the nerve centers of a global network.
Smart Land: Can small towns and outlying areas be an option in the country’s pursuit of growth?
A return to life in small towns and outlying areas could offer a strategic opportunity for Italian post-pandemic economic recovery. Italy’s environmental and cultural heritage can become pivotal elements in the framework of long-term policies conceived in continuity with some ideas previously promoted at both national and local levels, with the aim of regulating the equilibrium between the economic development of cities, small towns and remote areas.
Building an interconnected society: infrastructure, investment, innovation and integration
The pandemic has had a considerable impact on lifestyles, both temporarily and longer term (structurally). Even after the arrival of an anti-coronavirus vaccine, an interconnected society is going to have to recuperate a good number of physical living spaces in order to get back to “normal”. That means fewer distance-based activities, some of which, however, are bound to remain useful and will tend to be employed more as we move forward than they were in pre-emergency times.