According to the most recent United Nations estimates, roughly 45% of the world’s population lives in cities, and two-thirds of global population growth up to 2050 will be concentrated in urban settings. Cities continue to attract human capital due to job opportunities, a high density of skills, services, and occasions for exchange. At the same time, we are witnessing a growing social polarization and an increasing difficulty in creating and maintaining communities, with direct impacts on social cohesion and social capital. This is why urban policies that account for the population’s socioeconomic characteristics play a central role in narrowing gaps and making cities accessible to different generations.
Demographic transformation further complicates this picture. Cities must adapt to an aging population without neglecting the younger generations, for whom cities risk becoming a barrier. To respond to rapidly shifting demographics, cities need to be rethought in terms of both urban spaces and public services. The housing crisis is the most glaring example of this, as the market alone cannot guarantee affordable housing. Consequently, public and subsidized housing, as well as forms of intergenerational solidarity-based co-housing, remain necessary. This gap also extends to healthcare services, especially in suburban areas.
This same logic of exclusion also applies to cultural heritage. Young people show high levels of cultural participation, but access remains conditioned by proximity and socioeconomic background. Cultural value must be measured not only by tickets sold to a given event or space, but also through the impact of sites on citizens and local areas. Tied to this vision is a broader concept of heritage, which pairs inherited public and private assets with the skills and capacities that form its intangible component. Therefore, preservation must be combined with enhancement. Tourism also calls for a change in approach, as new actors and behaviors are reshaping demand.
Part of the answer has been sought outside city centers. Suburbs often preserve a stronger identity than other parts of the city, and innovation—if cities are not to all look the same—must follow specific urban identities. In this field, universities have proven capable of sparking innovation and social regeneration. Inland areas and smaller towns preserve a heritage that remains underexploited. A territory that fails to either attract or retain people risks losing its vitality, making social cohesion crucial. It is in this light that we must also interpret the demand for security, understood as social reassurance and a visible, close presence for citizens.
Linked to all these aspects is the role of young people, recognized as interpreters of urban transformation, yet lacking spaces for listening and dialogue in which to exercise that role. There is also a temporal issue: transformations require interventions with multi-generational effects, whereas politics tends to favor short-term results.
The same mismatch emerges regarding the Mediterranean, where there is a lack of attention toward an area of decisive importance for Italy. This leaves open the question of whether there is still time to regain a strategic role. Added to this is the fragmentation of responsibilities: in the cultural sphere, the division of duties among the state, regions, and municipalities makes intervention more difficult. A similar problem arises in infrastructure development. For Italy’s maritime economy, which has weathered recent shocks well, the challenge is to channel the goods increasingly transiting through the Mediterranean toward European manufacturing. Indeed, ports alone are not enough: robust infrastructure is needed to connect them to production systems.
In the Mediterranean, the geoeconomic and geopolitical dimensions are now nearly inseparable: the sea concentrates infrastructure bottlenecks, the rivalry between Russia and Europe, and Turkey’s new role. Freedom of navigation, long taken for granted, is increasingly at risk, with repercussions for many value chains. The importance of data has also been highlighted, as control over them affects a country’s ability to exert economic and strategic influence. Italy possesses a diplomatic heritage capable of engaging with all shores. Consequently, there is a need for a more structured Mediterranean policy on energy and raw materials, capable of integrating economic, cultural, diplomatic, and security tools.
Within this framework, the ideal city does not emerge as a single uniform model, but rather as a place capable of evolving alongside demographic shifts, reducing social distances, and guaranteeing access to housing, services, and culture. The ideal city is one that values its own identity and heritage as tools for integration, remains open to cultural dialogue, and is capable of incorporating new contributions without losing its uniqueness. Finally, it is a city capable of integrating into broader economic and territorial networks, looking beyond the short term. Social cohesion, accessibility, identity, and a long-term vision thus remain central elements in guiding the evolution of cities and territories.