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 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.
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.
Future mobility: smart, innovative, sustainable
The Covid-19 emergency has forced millions of people into quarantine and has interrupted the ordinary flow of local and international traffic. The sudden emptying of urban spaces traditionally perceived as dense and congested is the most glaring evidence of the alteration in lifestyles and of the impact of thousands of city dwellers’ inevitable recourse to more streamlined and flexible work solutions.
Infrastructure and sustainable mobility
The theme of mobility is central to current reflections on economic development, and considerations on the mobility of persons and goods – to which approximately 29% of global CO2 emissions can be attributed – is a special focus.
Building a new silk road: Sicily’s role
Kicking off discussions at this National Conference was the observation that southern Italy’s ports, intermodal facilities, and adjacent hinterland areas have a strategic opportunity within their grasp, with Mediterranean routes now serving as crossroads for global traffic. It was felt, however, that in order to seize these opportunities, medium and long-term choices need to be made, with a commitment at the governmental level to ensure that the right incentives, an apposite regulatory framework, and a coherent vision for pursuing Italy’s economic interests are all in place.
Shifting to sustainable transportation in Italy: social and economic consequences
The participants at this roundtable noted that there is practically unanimous consensus on the need to rise to the challenge of achieving eco-sustainable mobility, a necessary objective in order to meet the Paris Agreement’s target of keeping the increase in global average temperature to well below 2°C. The issue was viewed as one primarily concerning the health of both the present generation and the next.
Italian airport system: synergies, investment, attractiveness
The starting premise of discussions at this national roundtable was that the issue of air transport owes its considerable complexity to the sheer number of stakeholders involved. The interests and different perspectives of airport operators, airline companies, travelers, local authorities, and other competing and combined transport networks were seen as calling for a synergistic approach both on the part of these players themselves and of the State.
The maritime economy: integrated ports and economic development
The participants at this National Conference kicked off proceedings by highlighting that Italy serves as a mid-Mediterranean berthing facility for the continent, in a region where the maritime economy is a pivotal economic resource, with shipbuilding generating 7 billion euro in value-added, maritime transport 8 billion euro, and sea-linked tourism over 13 billion euro. Alongside these three cornerstones (which account for 64% of the value chain), there are other related components that contribute to the nation’s “blue economy” achieving value-added of over 44 billion euro.
Efficiency and sustainability: key challenges for modern cities
The starting premise of debate at this National Interest event was that cities are the place where the future of humanity is set to play out, not just because – for the first time in history – the majority of the world’s population lives in urban areas, but also because the latter will become increasingly pivotal to ensuring the sustainability of development models.