The second relationship ONE HEALTHPresented by the Bio-Medical Campus of Rome in the Senate, examines the future of Italian cities, focusing on health, sustainability and inclusiveness. The projections highlight the importance of targeted interventions to improve urban livability by 2050, facing the challenges related to the aging of the population and social and economic transformations
Satisfaction of citizens and expectations for the future: the data
Only 11% of Italians are satisfied with the quality of life in their cities, while 39% report worsening, especially in large urban areas. Citizens imagine a technological future with a focus on sustainability, inclusion ed efficiency.
The main expectations for the cities of the future concern safety, green spaces and access to care, services, professional opportunities and sustainable mobility.
68%hope for a technological future, with greater attention to sustainability (51%), efficiency (48%) and inclusion (42%). The quality of life depends on access to health, work, home and education.
These are the main data that emerge from the second One Health Report “The health of the city and territories”made by Bio-Medical Campus of Romein collaboration with the Piepoli Institute, and presented to the Senate last February.
Inclusive and sustainable cities to design a Green future
One Health stresses that urban design is called to create safe and inclusive spaces, improving public health and reducing inequalities. Italian cities are characterized by a network of small and medium-sized realities, with a population that will remain substantially stable in the next 20-25 years.
Unlike other European nations, the large Italian metropolises will not register significant demographic increases, while medium -sized cities will grow.
Two scenarios for the future of Italian cities
The study proposes two city models: that of the “City to use”in which large urban centers are intended to remain workplaces and services, with a limited resident population, and the “City to live”conceived as a space oriented to social cohesion, with green areas, accessible homes and proximity services.
This second model, more inclusive, is in line with the expectations of citizens, who ask for cities that favor the quality of life in every phase of existence.
Challenges and opportunities
The challenge for the future will be to achieve the sustainability objectives, set for 2030 and 2050, through a decisive action in the field of eco -sustainability and public transport. By adopting an integrated approach, the One Health model proposes itself as a guide to deal with health, urban and sustainability problems to support and improve the quality of life.
For Italian cities, it will be crucial to develop an efficient, sustainable and interurban public transport network, based on solutions such as intermodal transport and the model of the “City of 15 minutes”which aims to make all the essential services easily accessible.
At the same time, it will be necessary to start a “Transition to the cohesive and solidarity cities”also through interventions aimed at regenerating public spaces and the reduction of soil consumption.
In the health sector, the integration between public and private will then play a key role to improve access to care and reduce costs, thanks also to the use of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and telemedicine. Attention to prevention will be “More than ever central” and will allow you to cope with the progressive aging of the population.
Testimonies of experts
Vannia Gava, deputy minister of the environment, underlined the importance of the connection between environmental health and human health, reiterating the government’s commitment to create safer and more liveable cities, through investments in public transport and the protection of the territory.
«Thanks to the funds of the PNRR and other strategic resources, we are allocating over 6 billion to local public transport, to reduce pollution and improve urban mobility and 1 billion only in 2024 for the fight against hydrogeological instability, to protect the territories from climatic risks. A program of large works financed with 240 million FSC funds will also start shortly, together with 45 million for climatic construction, while 210 million for urban forestry are already operational, to increase city green and improve air quality. The change is possible, but the contribution of all, institutions, businesses and citizens is needed»Adds Gava.
Other experts who intervened, such as Francesco Battistoni and Marcello Fiori, have highlighted how the design of cities must respond to criteria of sustainability, innovation and inclusiveness, placing the person in the center.
A guide to a green future for Italian cities
The second One Health Report proposes itself as a guide for the future of Italian cities, combining institutions, experts and citizens to face the challenges of the next decades. In a constantly changing world, a common commitment is needed to build urban environments that respond to the needs of the population, with a focus on health, accessibility and sustainability. Only in this way will it be possible to guarantee a better and fair future for everyone.