PON Metro Florence (Florence - Italy)
PON Metro is the National Operational Programme for Metropolitan Cities in Italy that aims to address in a coordinated way all the territorial and organisational challenges faced in local contexts. There are 14 metropolitan cities involved in this programme: Turin, Genoa, Milan, Bologna, Venice, Florence, Rome, Bari, Naples, Reggio Calabria, Cagliari, Catania, Messina, and Palermo. It is funded by the European Union (ERDF – European Regional Development Fund and ESF – European Social Fund), with a budget of 40 million euros for each city located in the more developed and transition regions (Central/North of the country and the region of Sardinia), and 90 million euros for each city in the less developed regions (South of the country).
The programme is focused on five main axes (four priority issues and one axis for technical assistance): Digital Metropolitan Agenda, Sustainability of Services and of Urban Mobility, Services for Social Inclusion (focused on people who are in particular conditions of poverty), Infrastructures for Social Inclusion (there is a building dedicated to the services for social inclusion, where apps for social innovation are being developed, etc.), and Technical Assistance. PON Metro also focuses on two strategic drivers: putting the “Smart City” paradigm in practice (promoting a new design, reorganization, and renewal of urban services for citizens and other city stakeholders) and promoting practices and projects for social innovation (fostering social inclusion in districts and population segments that are more disadvantaged and experience bigger problems of poverty and social integration).
The National Agency for Territorial Cohesion is the Managing and Certifying Authority responsible for implementing and managing the Operational Programme, and the 14 municipalities are the intermediate bodies that manage the programme locally. PON Metro has the same strategy for the 14 metropolitan cities, but each city is responsible for creating its own Action Plan (Piano Operativo). This plan contains a list of actors for each project or operation. There are specific projects for smart mobility, for the digital agenda, and so on.
In Florence the Programme has a total budget of €37,770,000 spread among the 5 axes: 6.43 million euros for 4 projects on axis 1 (metropolitan digital agenda); 14.93 million euros for 6 projects on axis 2 (public services and urban mobility); 9.83 million euros for 3 projects on axis 3 (social inclusion services); 5.53 million euros for 2 projects on axis 4 (social inclusion infrastructures); and 1.05 million euros for 3 projects on axis 5 (technical assistance).
Sources:
https://www.comune.fi.it/pagina/mobilita-ambiente-e-territorio/pon-metro
http://www.ponmetro.it/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Piano-Operativo-FIRENZE_ultimo.pdf
Interview with a central government official (Agency for Territorial Cohesion) at the Smart City Expo World Congress Barcelona 2017.
Improved e-Governance and citizen services;
Improved Energy management;
Improved Urban Lighting;
Improved Intelligent Transport Systems;
Improved Health for Citizens;
Improved Education and Training.
Description of the specific objectives:
- The cohesion policy of the European Union (EU) aims to create better conditions at urban level in the big metropolitan cities;
- PON Metro focuses on 3 EU 2020 Thematic Objectives: Enhancing the access and use of Information and Communication Technologies, and the quality of service as well; Supporting the transition process towards a low-carbon economy in all economic and civil society sectors; Promoting social inclusion and fighting poverty and discrimination.
Agency for Territorial Cohesion (Managing Authority and Certifying Authority); Municipality of Florence (local management of the Programme).
Manage the Programme effectively to ensure the delivery of the expected results by 2030.
CCTV cameras for traffic management, traffic sensors to measure weather conditions and traffic flow, smart parking, smart traffic lights, and other smart mobility solutions (e.g. the Smart City Control Room); smart buildings (for smart liveability); smart energy solutions.
Florence has several ongoing projects in each of the five strategic axes:
Axis 1:
- Platform for construction and environment;
- Data centre enhancement;
- Taxation simplification platform;
- Smart tourism.
Axis 2:
- Energy requalification plan and technological innovation in public lighting;
- Implementation of information systems for mobility and urban traffic management;
- Integration of traffic data production systems connected to the mobility supervisor platform;
- Information systems for control and management of public and private traffic;
- Smart city control room;
- Extension and improvement of the network of bicycle lanes in Florence.
Axis 3:
- Project F.A.S.E. (Florence Social Housing for Community Empowerment);
- Project S.A.T. (Secondary Level of Social Assistance for Temporary Housing);
- Project P.O.L.I.S. 2.0 (project for work orientation and social inclusion) multidimensional paths for active inclusion.
Axis 4:
- Restoration of ex Meyer estate (former paediatric hospital) for the service of emergency housing management;
- Smart liveability.
Axis 5:
- Administrative improvement;
- General technical assistance;
- Strategy and communication plan.
Expected results in the 3 priority areas for the complete PON Metro initiative in the 14 cities (specific expected results for the city of Florence are available only in Italian: http://www.ponmetro.it/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Piano-Operativo-FIRENZE_ultimo.pdf):
Digital Agenda :
- 70% of the Metropolitan City Municipalities with fully interactive public services;
- 50% of citizens using internet to interact with the public administration or with the public utilities managing authorities.
Urban Sustainability:
- Over 90,000 modernized lighting systems (8.8% reduction in electricity consumption for public lighting, equivalent to more than 20,000 tons of CO2 emissions avoided per year);
- Energy efficiency upgrading of at least 38,000 square meters of public buildings, (equivalent to about 9 GWh/year);
- 5% increase of passengers using local public transport (about 320 new buses);
- Increase in bicycle mobility providing approximately 150 km of new bike lanes;
- Approximately 150 km of protected lanes for local public transport and upgrading of 40,000 square meters of interchanges.
Social inclusion:
- Building and requalification of 2,270 apartments for families with social and economic fragility;
- Restoration of 35,600 square meters of unused buildings to be allocated to services in the third sector;
- Integrated paths (educational, employment, health care placement, and housing) for 3,904 low-income individuals and for 5,855 individuals experiencing severe forms of distress;
- Integrated programs for 485 individuals belonging to the Rom, Sinti and Camminanti, communities;
- Low-threshold services and emergency social intervention for 1,811 homeless people;
- Support to 644 projects implemented by active welfare actors or NGOs involved in these target areas.