Catania. Il difficile percorso verso la Smartness nella Città Metropolitana in formazione

The process for instituting the Metropolitan City of Catania, still in progress, has been a long and difficult one, as well as for other Metropolitan Cities in Sicily, due to complex legislative incidents. Moreover, the City of Catania has historically faced a lack in planning procedures, which have been slow and challenging. Also, although Catania is considered a valuable city in terms of natural/historical/cultural heritage, environmental and socio-economic conditions present elements of weakness. This paper is aimed at highlighting the differences between Catania and other Metropolitan Cities in Italy, in terms of Smart Indicators that describe the background where local stakeholders do operate. After a discussion about each Smart Characteristic, the paper presents a variety of case studies that have been chosen as windows of opportunity for a smart regeneration. The criteria of selection are related to holistic and integrated approaches (pro ects that target all the characteristics at the same time) as well as balancing the use of ICTs with a high attention to the human factor. Interviewed stakeholders have highlighted excellences and pitfalls for the City: although Smart People are vibrant, Smart Governance is missing, i.e. there is not a consistent coordination amongst the various initiatives that have been initiated by local actors (governmental and non-governmental organizations, entrepreneurs, researchers, the grassroots, and so forth). The search for a more Smart Governance is thus the current challenge that the City has to face, toward the consolidation of Metropolitan Institutions.